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As we near the start of the draft, let's put one more receiver in the spotlight; Penn State's Derrick Williams. For over a month, any inquiry made about Williams resulted in the same answer -- the Bears have no interest. "Chicago is one of the only teams to not even call about Derrick," a source close to the player told me earlier this month. What is it about Williams the Bears dislike? Well, he is not known as a polished blocker, which likely hurts his stock. Williams also performed poorly at the Senior Bowl, and has a reputation of having just average hands. Plus, his speed looks suspect (4.65), as well as his route running ability at times. However, scouts claim that Williams actually plays much faster than he times, and has a solid frame (6-0, 194). He relishes the idea of going over the middle and making the tough catch. But the biggest positive going for Williams is his ability as a return man on special teams. Why would the Bears care about special teams with Devin Hester and Danieal Manning? Well, for one, how much longer is Hester going to return punts? When will the risk start outweighing the reward if Hester continues to be counted on as the teams' No. 1 wide receiver? Also, this might be the last year for Manning in Chicago. Barring an uncapped 2010, Manning will be an unrestricted free agent. Maybe the Bears do need to start thinking about the return game.
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