INDIANAPOLIS–The Bears figure to be in the market for a wide receiver in this draft and the picture for wideouts just got jumbled.
Michael Crabtree, the consensus best receiver in the draft and the top player according to some scouts, will be out 10 weeks after it was discovered Friday that he has a stress fracture in his left foot. He will require surgery to have a pin inserted.
How this changes the board for teams picking near the top of the draft remains to be seen. Ten weeks will take him up until about the draft, which begins April 25. It could affect Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin most. He’s considered the next best receiver by many.
The Bears could be looking at Maryland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey, but if he runs like he’s expected to Sunday when receivers work out at Lucas Oil Stadium, chances are he’ll be long gone when the Bears choose 18th in the first round. Rutgers’ Kenny Britt and North Carolina’s Hakeem Nicks also might be good fits.
The last time the Bears drafted a wide receiver in the first round–grabbing David Terrell eighth overall in 2001–he was dealing with a stress fracture.
