If there's anything we have learned about Bears general manager Phil Emery in his 15 months with the Bears, it's that he works quickly. He doesn't like loose ends, which explains why his Bears already have five of their six draft picks signed. Second-round draft pick Jon Bostic signed a four-year contract on Thursday.
This means Bostic, Khaseem Greene, Jordan Mills, Cornelius Washington and Marquess Wilson are all now signed to the Bears. First-round pick Kyle Long is the only one who hasn't signed. With rookie mini-camp starting on Friday, this takes one worry off Emery's list.
Now that they have been drafted and signed, the rookies will face a new kind of pressure. Mini-camp will be the first time for the draft picks and the Bears' undrafted free agents to show their coaches what they are capable of as a group.
For Long and Mills, they have to show that they can even compete for the Bears' suddenly jam-packed offensive line. Emery and Marc Trestman are firm believers that competition makes everyone better. They have to show that from day one.
Greene, Bostic and Washington have a different kind of pressure. Instead of being brought in to help the Bears' address a long-time problem area, the linebacker rookies have to help continue success in a place where the Bears have always been strong.
Wilson's mini-camp is not as much about showing off his skills, as it wasn't his skill that knocked him down to the last round of the draft. It was the fact that he left his team halfway through his senior year. He needs to be a professional at every turn at Halas Hall this weekend.
It's just one weekend, but it's an important one for the new Bears.
