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Sports

Bears add to defense, pick QB LeFevour too

Associated Press
Published | Updated

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears tried to bolster their defense even more in the final day of the NFL draft Saturday, picking two more players on that side of ball. And then they picked one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NCAA history to backup Jay Cutler.

The Bears took Northwestern defensive end Corey Wootten in the fourth round with the 109th pick overall and then took cornerback Joshua Moore from Kansas State in the fifth round at No. 141. This came one day after the Bears spent their first overall pick on Florida free safety Major Wright in the third round.

But with the 181st overall pick, the Bears chose Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour in the sixth round. The Bears had inexperienced Caleb Hanie and former Northwestern player Brett Basanez behind Cutler last season and have not added a free agent backup.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound LeFevour finished his Central Michigan career with 15,853 yards of total offense, second in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history (Hawaii's Timmy Chang had 16,910). LeFevour is the only player in NCAA history with at least 12,000 passing yards (12,905) and 2,500 rushing yards (2,948).

LeFevour also ended his college career fifth in the FBS in career completions and 10th in yards passing. If he sticks with the Bears, he will be playing not far from his childhood home in Downers Grove, Ill.

The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Wootten figures to play left defensive end with the Bears. Julius Peppers, Henry Melton, Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije are the team's other defensive ends.

Wootten returned from surgery to repair a torn right anterior cruciate ligament in January 2009 to play last season for the Wildcats. He had four sacks and six tackles for loss in 2009.

The 5-foot-11, 188-pound Moore left Kansas State after his junior season and six career interceptions. Moore worried scouts at the February NFL scouting combine by performing only two reps at 225 pounds in the bench press.

With Wright and Moore, the Bears are seeking to improve a pass defense that sank to 20th in the league last year. The Bears last year used 11 different safety combinations and have used 21 different free safeties during Lovie Smith's six years as head coach.