Bears looking to go OT in first round

If you weren't convinced before that the Bears are going after an offensive tackle with the 14th pick in this weekend's draft, you should be now.

There was enough misdirection and razzle-dazzle in Tuesday's pre-draft gathering to fill a Gary Crowton playbook, but if you read between the lines, it was easy to get a sense of which way the team will go.

''You can't win in this league without being solid up front, no matter how good your back is, no matter how good your quarterback is,'' offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. ''It all starts up there.''

General manager Jerry Angelo said it's as important to weigh players at different positions against each other as it is to survey who will be available at each position the next time around. Translated, if you take a running back in the first round, what kind of offensive lineman will you be looking at in Round 2? In this draft, it won't be one you can count on plugging in immediately with two starting vacancies to fill.

''If you said both players are needs, then obviously you want to take the best player,'' Angelo said. ''You look at what the second tier at that position will offer you, and sometimes that makes your decision. If you feel like you can get a player, maybe not of that value but close to that value, and he'll be there in the second or third round, [and] the other player you look and you're really falling off the cliff, then that becomes the tiebreaker.''

With the running back class having depth into the second and third rounds, the Bears will be able to target someone such as Tulane's Matt Forte, Texas' Jamaal Charles, Central Florida's Kevin Smith or South Carolina's Cory Boyd after taking a lineman.

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said he has heard the talk about a reduced return role for Devin Hester as he develops as a wide receiver. He doesn't care for it one bit.

''I've talked to Devin and I've talked to Lovie [Smith] about it,'' Toub said. ''Just having him line up on kickoff returns changes the mind-set of the other team. I don't think we're going to see a situation where he's not in there.

''If he's a No. 1 receiver now, then you're going to look at it. But is he going to be that guy right now? I don't see that happening this year. That's my personal view of it. Maybe down the road.''

According to Angelo, all players are expected to be cleared for full participation by the end of next month, including safety Mike Brown (knee) and running back Cedric Benson (leg/ankle).