Bears heading in to check out WR Thomas

As the plot thickens so does the smoke.

Or is it real interest?

Profootballtalk.com reported this morning that the Bears will get together with Michigan State wide receiver Devin Thomas Friday. Wide receivers coach Darryl Drake will travel to Michigan to meet with him and it could lead to a possible last-minute workout. Weve confirmed the information with a source close to the player.

Talk about a turn of events.

No one has strongly considered the possibility the Bears will look at a receiver in the first round. The bust factor is as high at receiver as any other position in the first round. Just look at how nabbing receivers at the top of the first round has worked out for the Detroit Lions. Roy Williams is a bona fide playmaker. Charles Rogers and Mike Williams are long gone. Calvin Johnson is still dealing with back issues that plagued him as a rookie.

Thomas is projected by many at this point to go to the Buffalo Bills, who are drafting 11th. Most consider him the best receiver in the class after Malcolm Kelly ran through quick sand at Oklahoma in a couple of workouts. It is believed Kelly was, at least at one point, the top-rated receiver on the Bears board. He could still be in that position. Thomas has dynamic ability to go with terrific size at 6-2, 215 pounds. He has to fight the perception he was a one-year wonder for the Spartans. He set a school record with 79 catches for 1,260 yards and eight touchdowns.

Hes represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus, no stranger to the Bears, and that strikes as curious as well. Rosenhaus has another client in Central Florida running back Kevin Smith that figures to be a better fit for the Bears. General manager Jerry Angelo went to visit him after attending the owners meetings.

Quarterback remains a real issue for the Bears and one thinking is the team will wait to really invest in a receiver until the situation with the man throwing the ball is resolved. Why go gangbusters for a target youre not convinced can get the ball on a regular basis? The Bears trumpet themselves as a running team and have two holes on the offensive line and a major-league question mark in Cedric Benson.

Perhaps the Bears really want to check Thomas out one more time. Perhaps Drake is eyeing some vacation property on the other side of Lake Michigan. Heck, maybe it’s both.

Stay tuned.