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Round 7 Roundup: TE and WR Added
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John M. Crist
BearReport.com		Apr 26, 2009

With two comp selections in the seventh round, the Chicago Bears added to their crop of pass catchers with a tight end and a wide receiver. San Diego State tight end Lance Louis actually suited up at guard for the Aztecs, and Pittsburgh WR Derek Kinder played for former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt.

Wrapping up the 2009 NFL Draft, general manager Jerry Angelo wanted to get two more potential weapons in the passing game for new quarterback Jay Cutler.

With the 246th-overall pick in Round 7, the Bears selected San Diego State tight end Lance Louis. At 6-3 and an even 300 pounds, Louis started his career as a tight end but made the move to offensive line as an upperclassmen. Although he'll be a skill-position player again on Sunday, as he showed scouts some impressive straight-line speed for a 300-pounder and has a lot of experience doing the dirty work down in the trenches.

Perhaps Louis could give one of last year's fifth-round draft picks, Kellen Davis, a run for his money to be the third tight end, as Davis is a quality receiver but hasn't progressed as a blocker in the running game.


Kinder caught 36 passes for 422 yards and 3 TDs last year. (Keith Srakocic/AP Images)

Then with the 251st-overall pick later in Round 7, the Bears went with Pittsburgh wide receiver Derek Kinder. At 6-1 and 210 pounds, Kinder is the third wideout taken by the Midway Monsters over the course of the weekend, joining Oklahoma's Juaquin Iglesias in the third round and Abilene Christian's Johnny Knox in the fifth round. A semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as a junior in 2006, he redshirted the following season after tearing his right ACL but came back to lead the Panthers in catches and receiving yards in '08.

Angelo told the Windy City media at the conclusion of the draft that six of his nine selections have a realistic chance to make the 53-man roster, with both Louis and Kinder looking like candidates for the practice squad right now.

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John Crist is the Publisher of Bear Report and a member of the Professional Football Writers of America. To read him every day, visit BearReport.com and become a Chicago Bears insider.



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