The 2013 NFL Draft wasn’t particularly flashy for the Chicago Bears, a year after an epic late-sea- son collapse ended all hopes of a playoff appearance.

Chicago resisted the urge to draft skill players, settling instead on filling holes and rebuilding the defense following the departure of long-tenured linebacker Brian Urlacher. With the 20th pick, the Bears selected Oregon offensive guard Kyle Long to solidify the team’s much-maligned offensive line and give running back Matt Forte a new weapon to work with.

Pundits generally lambasted the pick, crying foul and claiming the Bears reached for Long. Of- fensive guards don’t generally go early in the draft, and there were other players that were available for Chicago to take a chance on. As it is, the Bears do deserve credit for choosing to make the correct pick as opposed to the glitzy one.

Chicago spent the rest of the draft retooling the defense. Linebackers Jonathan Bostic and Khaseem Greene were selected to solidfy the middle of the front seven.

Was it a good draft? Time will tell. But the Bears did a decent job of improving their team’s depth and defensive infrastructure.