After a 2013 campaign in which their defense faltered when the NFC North title was there to be won, the Bears spent free agency trying to fix the problem, signing defensive ends Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young and adding a host of new faces at safety.
And the Bears’ efforts to strengthen the defense continued Thursday, with the club selecting Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller with the No. 14 overall pick in Round One.
Fuller (5-11, 190) made 41 starts in four seasons for Virginia Tech, intercepting six passes. He is the brother of Corey Fuller and Vincent Fuller, both of whom had NFL careers.
At the least, Kyle Fuller figures to see playing time right off the bat in “sub” packages for Chicago, which has Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman among its top options at corner. In the longer term, Fuller could be the replacement for the 33-year-old Tillman, who signed through 2014.
The Bears’ next pick comes in Round Two (No. 51 overall). And it would not be a surprise if another defensive player was added to the mix in Chicago, which paid the price for poor defensive play a season ago.