NFL Draft 2011: Addressing the Chicago Bears' 5 Draft Needs

Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo, has always stated that the team's first priority is to "build through the draft."

In recent years, the Bears have had more success in the free-agent market. During the last two offseasons the Bears have made a big splash, landing Jay Cutler in 2009 and Julius Peppers last offseason.

All hypocrisies aside, Jerry Angelo has plenty of holes to fill this offseason.

Coming of an 11-5 campaign in 2010, the Chicago Bears came within a game of the Super Bowl when most experts didn't even have them making it to the playoffs.

With the draft around the corner, here are some areas where the Bears must improve if they expect to build on last season.

Offensive Line: Franchise QB Jay Cutler took a beating last year. If the Bears offense expects to make any strides under Mike Martz it has to start with this unit.

The Bears  are in dire need of a franchise left tackle who can protect Cutler. 2008 first round pick Chris Williams was moved from left tackle to guard last season and has been a huge disappointment thus far.

Angelo has to address the offensive line early with the first round pick.

Wide Receiver: Similarly, the Bears offense struggled with the passing game last year.

Angelo has repeatedly said that he's happy with the Bears receiving corps. Unfortunately, no one else in the league shares his enthusiasm.

The Bears were ranked 28th in passing game last year. They desperately need to provide Jay Cutler with a legit No. 1 receiver. A true deep threat could take pressure off of Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester.

Defensive Tackle: The Cover-2 defense that Lovie Smith likes to employ, demands pressure from the defensive tackle position.

The Bears parted ways with DT Tommie Harris earlier this offseason. Harris had fizzled out due to injuries, after a stellar beginning to his career.

Jerry Angelo has a knack for finding nice defensive talent in the mid-rounds of the draft. Perhaps he can find a player that Rod Marinelli can mold in to a solid starter.

Defensive Back: The Bears managed to get through last season with Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman at the cornerback position.

Jennings filled in quite nicely for an underachieving Zack Bowman, who could not find his way into the starting lineup. 2009 draft pick D.J. Moore, seems like a better fit at the nickel position.

The Bears lack depth at this position and it would be nice to see them groom a replacement for an aging Charles Tillman.

Running Back: Matt Forte bounced back last year, after a disappointing 2009 season.

During the 2010 offseason, the Bears signed veteran RB Chester Taylor to be Forte's backup. In response, Taylor posted his worst season as a pro and did not provide the spark the Bears were expecting.

Running back Garrett Wolfe has made limited contributions outside of special teams, since being drafted. The Bears could look to add a running back to develop in the later rounds of the draft.

The uncertainty of the 2011 offseason has placed added pressure on the Bears to have a successful draft. Hopefully they can succeed and add the necessary players fill their needs.