Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of email questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
Have the Bears ever picked a guard in the first round of the draft before this year?
Evan G.
Hammond, Indiana
Oregon's Kyle Long is the second guard the Bears have selected in the first round of the draft. The only other one was Syracuse's Roger Davis, who was chosen seventh overall in 1960. Davis played four seasons with the Bears, starting at right guard on the 1963 team that won the NFL championship. Chris Williams was a tackle when he was picked by the Bears in the first round of the 2008 draft (14th overall), but he later started 20 games at left guard in 2010-11. The Bears have now used three of their last four first-round picks on offensive linemen, with Long following Williams and Gabe Carimi in 2011 at No. 29. They dealt their first-round picks in 2009 and 2010 to the Broncos to acquire Jay Cutler and selected defensive end Shea McClellin 19th last year.
I followed your draft blog during the first round and saw that you were keeping track of how Mel Kiper and some other so-called experts fared with their mock drafts. What was the final tally?
Steven A.
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
I kept track of three analysts: ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay and NFL Network's Mike Mayock. It was very close, but in my point system Mayock narrowly edged Kiper, who finished just ahead of McShay. It was complicated by the fact that there were five trades in the first-round, which switched nine of the 32 choices from one team to another. Mayock and Kiper both got eight picks right, while McShay had seven. I gave Mayock the edge because he projected Tavin Austin in the right spot at No. 8 but to the wrong team due to the Rams trading up with the Bills to take him. I'm sure that Bill Tobin still thinks his neighbor the postman knows more about the draft than Kiper and the rest of the experts. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, go directly to You Tube!)
I read that Bears first-round pick Kyle Long was drafted by the White Sox. Has anyone ever played for the Bears as well as the Cubs or White Sox?
Dave S.
Oakland, Michigan
The only person who comes to my mind is former Bears quarterback Bobby Douglass, who pitched in the minor leagues in the White Sox organization after his NFL career was over.
