5 Prospects the Chicago Bears Should Target in 2015 NFL Draft

The Ryan Pace era is set to begin at Halas Hall after the Bears confirmed his appointment Thursday. The new general manager now faces the daunting task of getting the Bears back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. 

Pace will look to revamp this team through smart decisions in free agency and value picks in the draft. With plenty of holes on this defense, he will likely spend most of his picks there. 

Who are the guys the Bears should target in the 2015 NFL draft? Could an impact pass-rusher be on the radar in the first round? Where does the coveted safety fall into play? 

Click ahead and see the five guys the Bears need to lock in on come draft time. 

Missouri Defensive End/Outside Linebacker Shane Ray

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Coming into last season, the Bears figured to be deep at defensive end but injuries and age fixed that by the end. 

Lamarr Houston tore his ACL, Willie Young tore his Achilles and Jared Allen is losing a battle to Father Time. The Bears need to address their edge-rushing situation in both the short and long term. 

Missouri defensive end Shane Ray is the best edge-rusher in the draft. Ray has blinding speed and used it to rack up 14.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss last year to lead the SEC. 

Houston and Young will likely need a full season to get back to themselves. It usually takes that long for athletes to recover from the tough injuries they both suffered.

Ray can take a ton of pressure off of them in 2014 as they work their way back and help an aging Allen save his reps for vital situations. 

Going forward, Ray is a cornerstone pass-rusher in a 4-3 or 3-4 system. He helps 2014 first-round pick Kyle Fuller and anybody else on the back end. 

If the Bears want to grab Ray it's going to have to be in the first round with their seventh overall pick. 

Samford Safety Jaquiski Tartt

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Alright, this is for everybody upset for not seeing Alabama safety Landon Collins on this list. There's actually a better overall safety who can be had without grabbing him in the first round. 

Collins is a very good in-the-box safety but will struggle at the next level in coverage. In comparing past Alabama safeties, Collins is behind Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in coverage and doesn't even stack up to Mark Barron in that department. 

The Bears need a safety that can cover and be physical at the point of attack. Samford safety Jaquiski Tartt is an early second-round prospect who can do just that. 

Tartt has been named to the Sports Network Divsion I-FCS All-America Team three straight years. He's Samford's first ever player to be invited to the Senior Bowl. 

If the Bears grab Tartt in the second round, he is a starter the day he steps on to the football field. Given the scheme, he's flexible to play either free or strong safety due to his speed, size and instincts. Why overvalue Collins when you can get a better value later on? 

Learn the name Jaquiski Tartt now because after the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine, he will be on everybody's radar. 

LSU Cornerback Jalen Collins

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It's clear the Bears need to get bigger, better, faster and stronger in the secondary. They already have Kyle Fuller on the team and we gave you Jaquiski Tartt on the last slide so let's go corner again. 

If Oregon corner Ifo Ekpre-Olomu didn't suffer a major injury, he would likely be in this spot. The injury to Ekpre-Olomu knocks him down a bit and raises the value on LSU corner Jalen Collins. 

It's hard to not fall in love with the length, size and fluidity Collins plays with. The NFC North has some physical receivers and Fuller can't do it all by himself. 

Tim Jennings could be seeing his days in a Bears uniform numbered. He struggled in 2014 and now is facing some off-field issues which could force the team to go in a different direction, per ESPN.com. 

Fuller and Collins would be a ton of fun and allow the Bears to be set at their starting corner spots for years to come. Best of all, the two together instantly help the pass-rusher you just nabbed in the first round. 

Ohio State Wide Receiver Devin Smith

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The offense was sub par in plenty of areas last season but they really lacked a guy who can just blow the top off a defense. 

Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery are great receivers but neither have the vertical speed to stretch the field and get behind a defense. They both use their size down field and that doesn't always work. 

Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith would be an awesome complement to Marshall and Jeffery. He has a smaller body frame but has a terrific ability to beat defenses down the field and make some spectacular catches. 

We saw what Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. can do down the field this season. Smith obviously isn't Beckham Jr. but they share a similar game, body type and style.

Smith can be a terrific weapon with Marshall and Jeffery and can help an offense get back to big plays down field.

Once under the radar, Smith is starting to grab the attention of people due to Ohio State's playoff run. This is a deep receiver draft so that plays into the Bears' hands. Can the Bears get him in the fourth round? That would be nice. 

Georgia Center David Andrews

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One of Phil Emery's final moves as general manager was giving a one-year tender to aging center Roberto Garza. No offense to Garza, but it's time the Bears find a younger and more stabilizing option at center. 

Whether it was Todd Gurley or Nick Chubb, the University of Georgia had no problem running the football in the SEC this year. This was in large part due to the leadership and play of center David Andrews. 

Andrews was a three-year starting center at Georgia. He has great quickness to reach his blocks and does a solid job in pass protection as well. 

Getting back to the run must be a priority for the Bears next season and it would serve them best to have a new young center they can have around for a while.