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Is Marvin Austin 'A Perfect Fit' For The Bears?

CHICAGO (WSCR) The Chicago Bears hold the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. And they could potentially go a few different directions with that pick: offensive line, defensive line or trade it to acquire more picks to name a few.

But if North Carolina's Marvin Austin is available, he might be too good for the Bears to pass up.

"In terms of being a fit for the Bears' system, I actually think he's a perfect fit," John Crist, of Scout.com, said on the Laurence Holmes Show. "This guy is a three-technique, defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme. He's not going to beef-up and play nose tackle in a 3-4. He's not going to be a five-technique defensive end. He is that under-tackle, which is the position that Tommie Harris played so well in 2005, 2006 before he shredded that knee and hamstring.

LISTEN: John Crist On The Laurence Holmes Show

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"And as Lovie Smith has told you and told me and everybody in that media room up at Halas Hall, the straw that stirs the drink for his defense is that under-tackle position.

"And I'll be perfectly honest, there's not a whole lot of tape on Marvin Austin. He didn't play last season in Chapel Hill becuase he had the off-the-field issues, but of all the players at the combine that had character issues...I though that Marvin Austin was one of the very few that was very upfront about his problems. He addressed all the questions that were given to him by media folks like myself. And I really think that he deserves to wipe the slate clean.

"I don't know if I would spend a first-round pick on him, but if he was somewhere in the middle of the second-round, I really think the Bears would add this guy and he would be pretty good right away. And if you paired him inside with a guy like [Julius] Peppers off the edge, I really think you help your d-line."

Bears 2011 Draft Picks

Round Pick Overall
1 29 29
2 30 62
3 29 93
4 30 127
5 29 160
6 30 195
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