Bears have shot at filling holes with high picks.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Terry Bannon

CHICAGO _ There's an old saying in scouting: "Everyone talks about drafting the best athlete available, but nobody does it."

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo will have a chance to do it in Saturday's draft and he should.

Head coach Lovie Smith has been emphatic about the need for a defensive lineman and there's no argument that is the team's biggest need.

But Smith has inherited a team that is coming off a 7-9 season for many reasons, not just that opposing quarterbacks had too much time to throw. The Bears were 7-9 because the right cornerback position became a revolving door. They were 7-9 because their receivers never scared anybody. They were 7-9 because their offensive line was a mess.

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