Chicago Bears Insider: Redoing the 2011 NFL Draft

Don’t you ever wonder what if? What if this player had been available in this round? What if the team had taken this guy instead of this guy? You hear it all the time when people talk about how every team in the league passed on former Michigan quarterback and New England Patriots star Tom Brady. It’s the ever-famous “if we could only do it over again.”

Well, let’s “dream” for a minute and go back a few weeks to the 2011 NFL draft. In this scenario we will go back and try to see if the Bears could have done something different with their draft picks. Perhaps they missed something. Perhaps there was a better player available that they could have taken.

Let’s find out as we redo the Bears' 2011 NFL draft.

Round 1, Pick 29: Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin

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TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 1: Lineman Gabe Carimi #68 of the Wisconsin Badgers sets to block against the Tennessee Volunteers in the 2008 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2008 in Tampa, Florida. The Volunteers won 21 - 17. (Photo by Al Mess

Original Pick: Same

The Bears could not go wrong making this pick, as they really needed the help at the offensive tackle position. While Carimi may start his career out as a right tackle, his presence helps and will help make the Bears' offensive line much better than it was last year.

Round 2, Pick 53: Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Tyler Gaffney #25 of the Stanford Cardinal jumps in the air as he is hit by Stephen Paea #54 and Gabe Miller #99 of the Oregon State Beavers at Stanford Stadium on November 27, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra S

Original Pick: Same

Once again the Bears did so well here that we keep the same pick (and the trade that went with it). Paea fits the Bears' defensive scheme nicely and will be a starter in short order. They couldn’t have done anything better here.

Round 3, Pick 93: Curtis Brown, CB, Texas

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 5: Curtis Brown #3 and Earl Thomas #12 of the Texas Longhorns celebrate breaking up a pass against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the third quarter at Cowboys Stadium on December 5, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martin

Original Pick: Chris Conte, S

Williams was available when the Bears took Conte in the third round (he was picked up by Pittsburgh shortly after the Bears made that pick) and could have helped the Bears solidify their depth at the cornerback position. Chicago heads into the 2011 season with little depth in that area and could have added some here with Brown.

Round 5, Pick 160: DeMarcus Love, OT/OG, Arkansas

Original Pick: Nathan Enderle, QB

The nice thing about Love is that he could play either the offensive tackle or offensive guard position. Chicago could have had him compete at the guard position, and he could have either cracked the starting lineup or added some important depth to the guard position.

Round 6, Pick 195: Tyler Sash, S, Iowa

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IOWA CITY, IA - OCTOBER 23: Defensive back Tyler Sash #9 of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes closes in on running back James White #20 of the Wisconsin Badgers as he rushes for yards during the first half of play at Kinnick Stadium on October 23, 2010 in I

Original Pick: J.T. Thomas, LB

If the Bears wanted to draft a safety, they could have waited a little while and grabbed Sash in the sixth round (where he was still available when the Bears picked). Sash was a proven playmaker in college and could have helped the Bears on special teams to start and may have been able to work his way into a starting role in the future.

In the End

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IOWA CITY, IA - OCTOBER 23- Quarterback Scott Tolzien #16 of the Wisconsin Badgers throws under pressure from Defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn #94 of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes as offensive lineman Gabe Carimi #68 defends during the first half of pl

We all know that it’s impossible to go back and do things over, and there is always room for improvement in anything that is done. This is just an idea of how the Bears might have operated their draft just a little bit differently to fill some of their needs.