2012 NFL Mock Draft: Chicago Bears to Target a Tight End in April's Draft?

The days of the Chicago Bears employing tight ends as a last-ditch offensive option might now be in the rear-view mirror.

With Mike Martz no longer calling the plays in the Windy City, the Bears are likely to be in the market for the kind of game-changing tight end that has swept the NFL landscape. This is all courtesy of Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune, who thinks a new era is set to begin for the Bears at the tight end position.

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The Mike Martz idea of a tight end who is good only for moving heavy objects is passe. The new Bears want a tight end who can run, jump and catch — and maybe even dunk a football over a goal post crossbar to celebrate a touchdown.

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Before we look forward, let's take a quick look back over the Bears' 2011 season at tight end.

It wasn't pretty.

Chicago's four tight ends—Kellen Davis, Matt Spaeth, Andre Smith and Kyle Adams—combined for just 25 catches in 2011, according to Pompei. That number ranked dead last in the NFL.

However, it certainly didn't help that the Bears only employed their tight ends on 301 pass routes over roughly 1,200 offensive snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. The Bears used tight ends in a passing role at a lower rate than almost every NFL team.

That being said, the talent base at tight end didn't offer much after Chicago shipped Greg Olsen to the Carolina Panthers during the summer. 

The Bears will now look to the 2012 NFL draft to improve the position. As Pompei points out, however, there aren't many sure-fire options at tight end in this class.

In the end, Stanford's Coby Fleener might be the best available. Jim Harbaugh, Fleener's former coach at Stanford, endorsed the athletic tight end as a player with game-changing talent at the next level.

"Fleener is like some of the top pass-catching guys in the NFL," Harbaugh told Pompei. "He has the license and the ability to be as good as any of those guys, the (Todd) Heaps, the Grahams. He has multiple talents. He can run, he has a big body, is competitive for the football in the air. Very smart, wired with the right fortitude. He was one of my favorite kids at Stanford."

Other athletic options are Georgia's Orson Charles, Clemson's Dwayne Allen, Louisiana-Lafayette's Ladarius Green and Oklahoma's James Hanna. The Bears may be able to draft one of those names in the middle round.

Either way, expect the Bears to use at least one draft pick on a tight end this April. It may not be one of the top players in the class, but Chicago has to add more talent at the position if they plan on using it more in the passing game.

The revival of the tight end position in Chicago has to begin this offseason.

2012 NFL Mock Draft 

1.  Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2.  Cleveland Browns – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (via trade with St. Louis Rams)

3.  Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil, OT, USC

4.  St. Louis Rams – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State (via trade with Cleveland Browns)

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

6. Washington Redskins – Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa 

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars – Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

8.  Miami Dolphins – Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

9.  Carolina Panthers – Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

10.  Buffalo Bills – Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

11.  Kansas City Chiefs – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

12.  Seattle Seahawks – Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

13.  Arizona Cardinals – Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina

14.  Dallas Cowboys – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

15.  Philadelphia Eagles – Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

16.  New York Jets – Nick Perry, OLB, USC

17.  Cincinnati Bengals – David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

18.  San Diego Chargers – Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

19.  Chicago Bears – Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

20.  Tennessee Titans – Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia 

21.  Cincinnati Bengals – Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

22.  St. Louis Rams – Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama 

23.  Detroit Lions – Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

24.  Pittsburgh Steelers – Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis

25.  Denver Broncos – Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

26.  Houston Texans – Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

27.  New England Patriots – Mark Barron, S, Alabama

28.  Green Bay Packers – Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois

29.  Baltimore Ravens – Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

30.  San Francisco 49ers – Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

31.  New England Patriots – Devon Still, DT, Penn State

32.  New York Giants – Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama