Thread: The Bears appear to have taken a personal interest in Notre Dame WR

Of Floyd and Smith, it seems Smith a more likely pick

The Bears appear to have taken a personal interest in Notre Dame wide receiver…

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — As he devoured a Kansas City bone-in strip inside the Ruth's Chris Steak HouseMonday night, Michael Floyd took a moment to digest words of wisdom from the stranger sitting opposite him.

The former Notre Dame wide receiver figured his dining partner, Bears receivers coach Darryl Drake, would pepper him with questions regarding alcohol-related incidents of his past. Floyd never imagined the discussion would evolve into a pep talk rather than an interrogation.

"He just said, 'You're too good of a person to be doing stuff like that.' I took that to heart,'' Floyd said. "You can always feel a real guy when they're talking to you. It was a great meeting, and coach Drake is a real, down-to-earth guy.''

Across town the same night, Floyd's close friend Harrison Smith, a top safety prospect, huddled with Bears safeties coach Gill Byrd at The Vine, one of South Bend's finest restaurants. As Smith feasted on steak salad and Byrd on crab dip, the two discussed family more than football.

"It was getting to know each other,'' Smith said. "I felt like coach Byrd liked me as a person, he liked me as a player. I'm not going to sit here and say the Bears want me. I'm just going through the process. If I don't get to go to the Bears, just going out with coach Byrd was awesome.''

The fact the Bears invested personal time in both Floyd and Smith before Notre Dame's Pro Day on Tuesday would seem to indicate some sort of interest. Not to mention general manager Phil Emery, coach Lovie Smith, Drake and Byrd all attended the workout as Floyd effortlessly grabbed deep balls from former teammate Jimmy Clausen and showed his quickness during cone drills.

Smith displayed his great range and underrated athleticism in defensive backs drills Byrd conducted.

The chances of Floyd becoming a Bear seem to be slim to none, unless Emery is willing to swing a draft-day trade to move up from the 19th-overall pick. Plus the Bears appear to have more pressing needs to address at defensive end, cornerback and shortstop. But just imagine Jay Cutler having a tandem like 6-foot-4 Brandon Marshall and 6-3 Floyd in his arsenal.

"I think Chicago would love to get Floyd at No. 19, but to me, you have to start at No. 7 with Jacksonville,'' said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, who attended Tuesday's Pro Day. "If you get comfortable with Michael off the field and just watch his tape, it's very similar to Justin Blackmon. So if Blackmon's a top six or seven pick, why isn't Floyd a top-10? … If he gets to 19, I'd sprint to the podium.''

Strong safety Smith appears to be a more realistic option for the Bears, if they are willing to invest a second-round pick. Most have Smith ranked behind only Alabama's Mark Barron as the top safeties in the draft.

The Bears have drafted a safety in each of the last seven drafts and have three of those seven players remaining: Major Wright, Chris Conte and Craig Steltz.

"It would be good to add another one, draft or free agency,'' Lovie Smith said. "Every defensive player, we would like them to have ball skills. We're looking for a little bit more than just run-support."