The Bears selected West Virginia receiver Kevin White with the seventh overall pick in the draft Thursday night, bringing cheers from fans gathered for the event in downtown Chicago.
New general manager Ryan Pace opted to go with a play-making receiver to replace the traded Brandon Marshall rather than address a defense that has ranked among the worst in franchise history the past two years.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound White, a junior college transfer, made a big impact in two seasons at West Virginia. He had a particularly strong senior season, finishing third in the nation with 109 receptions and sixth in yards receiving with 1,447.
Chicago also has one pick in the second and third rounds Friday (Nos. 39 and 71) along with a fourth-rounder (106), a fifth-rounder (142) and sixth-rounder (183) on Saturday.
Chicago made sweeping changes after going 5-11 last season, hiring Pace and coach John Fox to replace the fired Phil Emery and Marc Trestman. The Bears also have new offensive and defensive coordinators in Adam Gase and Vic Fangio, and they're switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense.
Roster-wise, there was no shortage of holes on offense and defense.
The Bears came in needing a top receiver to team with Alshon Jeffery after trading the controversial Marshall to the New York Jets. They're hoping White will give them just that. He set a school record with seven straight 100-yard receiving games to start the season and established the West Virginia mark with 16 receptions against Texas on Nov. 8.
White joins a team facing plenty of big questions.
Quarterback Jay Cutler's future with the team beyond next season is in question. And the defense remains a big concern after getting shredded the past two years under former coordinator Mel Tucker.
The Monsters of the Midway gave up the two highest point totals in franchise history during that span. Last season, only one team (Oakland) allowed more points, and the Bears joined the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons as the only teams to give up 50 or more in back-to-back games.
Pace brought in free agents such as linebacker Pernell McPhee and safety Antrel Rolle. But there still is plenty of work to do.
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