themselves in a room and started watching player film.
The process of determining what to do with the 10th overall pick began long ago for the Bears but according to Johnson in an interview he did with Fox’s Lou Canellis at this week’s owners meetings, it has intensified in recent days.
“We spent some time over the last couple weeks, just us in a room watching some of the top draft picks potentially and how we like them, how we view them,” Johnson said. “And so we feel like there’s going to be a lot of good players available with that No. 10 pick and, honestly, right now I couldn’t tell you if it’s going to be offense, if it’s going to be defense. There’s a lot of candidates in mind right now that could help us.”
What Johnson was able to tell Canellis is the overall aim is for their first four picks, Nos. 10, 39, 41 and 72.
He said he wants to see three starters drafted from that grouping.
“That’s the hope, yeah,” Johnson said. “Listen, there’s going to be competition so I can’t say as we pick a player that he’s necessarily going to win a job.
“He’s got to go earn that job. But yeah, you would like to think that whether it’s this year or years from now, that these players that we’re picking in Day 1 and Day 2 will be starters for us.”