California center Alex Mack was taken by the Cleveland Browns with the 21st pick in the N.F.L. draft. Here’s a look at how the Bears will be affected by his absence.
What They Lose
An all-American according to Rivals.com, Mack is as much a model citizen as a dominant model player. Winner of the Draddy Trophy as college football’s top scholar-athlete, Mack also helped the Bears rush for 2,421 yards. They surrendered a respectable 25 sacks on the season.
What’s Next
Starting next to Mack last season was Chris Guarnero, a sophomore who had won the starting left guard job in fall practices. But a toe injury three games into the season sidelined him for most of the year, and he was forced to watch and take notes as Mack emerged as one of the country’s most dominant centers.
The Bears are now hoping that all the watching and waiting has paid off, and Guarnero will be called on to fill the gap left by Mack in the Bears’ offensive line. He was a highly touted recruit coming out of Denver, and has impressed coaches since arriving in 2006, when he earned the scout team player of the year while redshirting his freshman season. Guarnero and the offensive line have had a decent spring, but surrendered six sacks in the final scrimmage of the spring sessions, not something that Coach Jeff Tedford was particularly pleased with.
The Bears hope that the line can find its groove come fall because it will have to provide for one of the nation’s best running backs, Jahvid Best. Best sat out the spring workouts after elbow and foot surgery in January, but expects to be ready by the fall.
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