Sports

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) ― The Chicago Bears took offensive linemen. They took a running back, wide receivers, and they took a few gambles, too.

They took everything but a quarterback, it seemed, in this weekend's draft.

The Bears picked Vanderbilt wide receiver Earl Bennett and Arkansas defensive tackle Marcus Harrison in the third round on Sunday, after addressing needs on the offensive line and at running back the previous day.

The Bears then traded down in the fourth round, taking Louisiana State safety Craig Steltz with the 120th pick.

Bennett, picked 70th, caught an SEC record 236 passes for 2,852 yards in three years and set most of the school's single-game and season records. He had 75 catches for 830 yards last season.

"He's got great quickness, really good route runner," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "Very precise route runner. He'll go up and catch the ball. Very competitive. He's a good all-around receiver."

He's drawn comparisons to Steelers wideout Hines Ward.

"That is a great comparison," said Bennett, the first receiver taken on the second day. "Hines Ward is one of the best wide receivers in the league right now. I'm delighted to be mentioned as like him."

The Bears had a long list of needs after going 7-9 following a run to the Super Bowl, particularly on offense. But they apparently feel comfortable for now with Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton, considering they did not go for a quarterback in the first five rounds.

They addressed their biggest concern when they took left tackle Chris Williams, Bennett's college teammate, with the 14th overall pick and went for Tulane running back Matt Forte in the second round on Saturday. He'll compete with Cedric Benson.

Wide receiver was another concern, after Bernard Berrian signed with Minnesota and Muhsin Muhammad got cut. Chicago signed free agents Brandon Lloyd and Marty Booker but was still looking for help, so it added Bennett to the mix.

Bennett had 876 yards as a freshman and continued to be productive the next two years even though he no longer had Jay Cutler throwing to him.

"(Coaches) did a good job of moving guys around," Bennett said. "And they found different ways to give me the ball."

The Bears continued to pass on a quarterback in the fourth and fifth rounds.

They went with Steltz in the fourth after he led LSU with six interceptions in his first full season as the starting strong safety while helping the Tigers win the national championship. He fractured his right shoulder in that game and missed the combine, but he said he's fine.

"I worked out at the LSU pro day," Steltz said. "My shoulder is back to 100 percent. It's getting better everyday."

The Bears got him after sending the 110th pick to Miami for the 115th and a seventh-rounder (208). They moved down again in the round, dealing the Dolphins' spot and a sixth-rounder (175) to Tampa Bay for the 120th selection and a fifth-rounder (158).

Chicago selected Nebraska cornerback Zackary Bowman with their first pick in the fifth round, taking him at 142 despite two serious knee injuries. He missed the 2006 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during fall practice and ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee midway through spring practice. He played in 11 of 12 games last season and was in on 29 tackles.

Chicago then added Michigan State tight end Kellen Davis at 158.

General manager Jerry Angelo had said the Bears would emphasize good character in this draft and the first few picks appeared to fit that mold. But Davis and Harrison had run-ins with the law, lowering their stock.

Harrison was arrested on a felony drug charge and several misdemeanors just before last season's opener, when he was accused of having marijuana and an Ecstasy pill after police in Fayetteville pulled him over. He also has a history of knee problems, undergoing surgery in 2006 and tearing an anterior-cruciate ligament last spring. But he was healthy enough as a senior to finish with a career-high 50 tackles, although he had just 1 1/2 sacks.

"I'll tell you right now, I made a really horrible mistake," Harrison said. "It was just a mistake I made in the past, and I've moved on from it. Right now, I'm just ... taking care of my business, as far as meeting with my counselors."

He said he's been spending more time with his family and his girlfriend since the arrest, and he added his knee is fine.

Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel said the legal and health issues knocked Harrison out of the first round and that Chicago is getting him at a "bargain rate."

"He made a mistake, he's paying the price," Gabriel said. "The price is millions of dollars, literally, between the first round and the third round."

He said Harrison will be in the clear once he completes a preadjudication program

Even so, the Bears jogged memories of Tank Johnson by drafting a defensive tackle with legal problems.

Johnson had a long run of legal troubles, including gun charges following a police raid on his home and a trip to a Chicago nightclub a few days later that resulted in the shooting death of his bodyguard. The Bears finally released him last June.

"Different set of circumstances, different kind of problem," Gabriel said. "But I know where you're coming from. It's just a whole different circumstances. The trouble he got into wasn't the same type of thing that Tank was involved in."

Davis was suspended four games as a junior after getting arrested for aggravated assault at an off-campus party.

"It was six football players at this party, a melee erupted, he got charged," Gabriel said. "I think he's got four, five months of probation left."

Davis said it ended last month.

"I just told (teams) the truth," he said. "It was behind me. I was hoping to learn from it."

The Bears took Michigan State defensive end Ervin Baldwin with the first pick of the seventh round at 208, Georgia guard and tackle Chester Adams at 222, Oregon State linebacker Joey LaRocque at 243, Ohio State offensive tackle Kirk Barton at 247 and Arkansas wide receiver Marcus Monk at 248.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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