Business as usual at NFL combine

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

INDIANAPOLIS — People often cling to normalcy during times of uncertainty, which may be why you won’t find a general manager or player personnel director at the NFL combine who will acknowledge that they are taking a different approach to the draft given the unpredictability of the free-agent situation this offseason.

Expect Bears general manager Jerry Angelo to join the chorus when he meets the media today.

“We’ve been proceeding as normal,” Minnesota Vikings vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman said. “We’ve been through all our processes with our evaluations of our football team, our [unrestricted free agent] meetings, our draft meetings. We’re just proceeding under the current rules . . . and going about our normal business.”

The ongoing labor dispute has stamped bold question marks over everything we know about the NFL this offseason with the exception being the draft, which will take place April 28-30 regardless of whether there’s a new collective-bargaining agreement. With free agency on hold and perhaps not happening at all, the draft may be the only way teams can acquire talent before next season.

That means a team like the Bears, who need to upgrade the offensive line and also have needs at center, wide receiver and defensive tackle, could be tempted to take a more NFL-ready player, for example, rather than one who may have more potential but will take time to develop. Might Angelo be tempted to reach for the big, physical receiver his offense needs if he’s unsure whether he will be able to acquire one in free agency? If offensive tackle is his biggest need, might he take a player at that position even if there is a higher-rated player at another position on the board?

“If you start trying to answer questions with draft picks in the short term, you’re going to get beat in the long term,” NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock said. “The best thing you can do is take a step back and say, ‘We’re going to do what we always do. We’re going to draft the best football players that fit our scheme, because we can’t worry about things we can’t control right now.”

This draft actually is setting up well for the Bears. It may have the richest crop of defensive ends in years. As many as nine could go in the first round, which means Angelo will be competing against fewer teams for the top offensive linemen, receivers and defensive tackles.

While there may not be an offensive tackle worthy of being selected in the top 10, there is enough depth and quality at the position to give Angelo an opportunity to land a long-term anchor at No. 29 such as Boston College’s Anthony Castonzo, who grew up a Bears fan in Lake Zurich. USC’s Tyron Smith, Wisconsin’s Abe Carimi and Colorado’s Nate Solder also would be solid picks.

“It’s a good offensive line year,” said Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik. “They weighed in [Thursday]. A lot of guys looked really in great shape. You could tell they were taking it seriously. They were getting themselves in a good spot. It’s a really talented offensive line [class], especially at the offensive tackle spot. There will be a lot of guys selected in the first couple days, and deservedly so. The tape is as good as they look physically. That’s encouraging for every club because we want to keep quarterbacks healthy.”

Regardless of what the Bears do, the labor situation could make it difficult for any rookie to make an impact next season. A lockout could prevent organized team activities and minicamps and possibly shorten training camp, making it even tougher for any rookie to learn a new system and adjust to the speed of the pro game.

After all, the Bears had the advantage of all those teaching moments last year and still were trying to master Mike Martz’s offense late in the season.

General managers may not want to talk about it, but there’s no escaping the far-reaching implications of the current labor situation on this offseason and beyond. What they are attempting to do is prepare for next season using rules that haven’t been written yet. While they may claim the threat of a lockout has not impacted them in any way, it’s about to start impacting them in every way.