Bears 1st Round Pick Has Back Surgery

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Chicago Bears first-round offensive tackle Chris Williams underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back.

No timetable has been given as to when Williams, the 14th overall pick in the 2008, will return to action, but as of tonight, Williams has not been moved to injured reserve.

Biggs reports that the Bears are comparing the procedure to the one Bears cornerback Charles Tillman had last season. Tillman missed four months and his position does not place the same strain on the back that playing along the offensive line does.

Bears Top Pick Injures Back

Chicago Bears rookie left tackle Chris Williams injured his back during a one-on-one pass rush drill on Thursday.

There's no word on the seriousness of the injury.

Williams was the 14th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, and the Bears envision Williams starting immediately at left tackle and anchoring their offensive line for the next decade.

Chicago Bears Take Chris Williams

The Chicago Bears have a new left tackle, as they've used the 14th pick on Vanderbilt's Chris Williams.

Williams is a finesse blocker who's better in pass protection than he is as a run blocker, though he does have the mean streak in him to develop into a guy who'll put his opponent on the ground.

Offensive line and play-makers are an issue for the Bears, and Williams is one of the top two or three tackles in this draft. Had they waited for the second round to address this position, they wouldn't have gotten a player nearly as good as him. With the depth at running back in this draft, it makes sense to pass on Rashard Mendenhall, as you can get a very good back later on the draft.