Chicago

It's rare you can draft the best player available and fill a need, but the Chicago Bears were able to do both by selecting Kevin White. 

When Chicago shipped off Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets, it opened up a gaping hole at receiver. Alshon Jeffery needs help on the outside, and White is certainly an explosive weapon who can provide assistance. 

At 6'3'', 215 pounds, White has the prototypical size you want out of a No. 1 receiver. He ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the combine and showed off his strength with 23 reps on the bench press. 

White is a hard worker who has seen his skill set get better as his confidence increases. He transferred in 2013 to West Virginia from junior college and struggled with drops. He corrected those issues in 2014 and had a monster year. 

His 109 receptions and 1,447 yards were third and sixth, respectively, in the nation last year. He holds the school record for receptions in a game with 16 against Texas and started the year with seven straight 100-yard games, another school record. 

White got better when West Virginia decided to give him more routes. He started his career as strictly a deep guy but proved he can be an all-around receiver. He is still at his best when he's able to use his size and high-point the football into his hands. 

The offensive plan for White in Chicago is easy. Offensive coordinator Adam Gase had Pro Bowl wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in Denver. Gase lined him all over the field and made it a point to get the ball into his hands, so he could make plays with his speed and size. 

In comparison to Thomas, White is faster. As he develops in the NFL, he will likely add about 10 pounds to his frame, which will help him fight through NFL tacklers. 

The pick makes Jeffery better as well. Having another young explosive receiver on the other side of the field not only takes pressure off him to make nearly every play but also allows him to do more of what he does best, which is stretch the field. 

When you add free-agent pickup Eddie Royal into the slot, the Bears now feature an exciting receiving corps that can take it to the end zone at any point in the game from any point on the field. Quarterback Jay Cutler has options when he drops back to pass. 

Where White needs to improve is getting off the line of scrimmage. That will happen as he gets stronger and learns the nuances and tricks of what makes a great NFL wide receiver. 

White has rare talent that he's just now coming into. As he develops and gains more confidence, he will only get better. He has the upside to be the most explosive player to come out of this draft class.

The Bears hit a home run with this pick. 

One of baseball's top prospects Kris Bryant is set to make his major league debut as the Chicago Cubs call up the promising young slugger Friday, originally reported by ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Mike Olt's move to the disabled list after a hairline fracture in his wrist paved the way for Bryant's move, Rogers said.

Most call-ups do not generate the same amount of buzz surrounding the 23-year-old third baseman's promotion. The news has Cubs fans anxious leading up to the team's day game against the San Diego Padres.

The University of San Diego product hit the ground running in 2014, earning Minor League Player of the Year honors from both USA Today and Baseball America.

Bryant started the year in Double-A with a .355 batting average adding 22 home runs and 58 RBI in 68 games before moving up the latter. For the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, he racked 21 more home runs and 52 RBI with a .295 average in 70 games, according to milb.com.

This performance excited scouts and moved Bryant up reporters' lists of potential stars. ESPN Insider Keith Law ranked the Nevada native as his top overall prospect heading into the 2015 season.

The hype continued this spring as the 6'5" third baseman led both the Grapefruit and Cactus League in home runs with nine home runs, including this two-run bomb against the Angels.

Following a phenomenal 2014 season and showing promise in spring training, why did Bryant find himself on the outside looking in at the Cubs' Opening Day roster? The answer: a bazaar rule in Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement.

The rule states that a player needs to be on a MLB roster for 172 days of the 183-day season for it to qualify as a season of service. If the player is on the roster for less time, then the team gets an additional year at the end of the player's contract.

The decision to call up Bryant now is not only due to the injury needs, as Friday marks the 171th day of the season, qualifying the Cubs for this loophole. Experts around the country, including Yahoo Sports national baseball writer Tim Brown, think the timing of the promotion is predictably convenient.

Bryant thought he deserved a call-up toward the end of the 2014 season and talked to Rogers back in September about his opinion on the contract manipulation in MLB.

It's kind of funny, all the rules. Coming into professional baseball, I had no clue. I didn't pay any attention to it in college, either. At the end of my first season, I kind of know the lingo about all this stuff. I guess the system works in some ways, and in some ways there are some flaws. I can't focus on that. I've always been high on avoiding the distractions.

Bryant continued to ignore distractions and make it tough for the Chicago front office to deny the young talent a call-up with his play this season in Iowa. He hit his third dinger of the early season Thursday night to go along with his .321 batting average before finding out about his promotion.

Not only Cubs supporters, but also baseball fanatics across the country, will watch with anticipation as Bryant steps into the batter's box for the first time against the Padres.

Defensive end Lamarr Houston's first season in Chicago was a bumpy one. His early 2014 exit has left him as somewhat of a forgotten name right now, and he's certainly the Bears' most overlooked 2015 starter.

Houston came to the Bears last year on a five-year, $35 million contract with $15 million guaranteed. His season ended after he tore his ACL celebrating a sack in a Week 8 loss against the New England Patriots. It was his only sack of the season. 

Bears fans might have a sour taste in their mouths after seeing what Houston brought to the table last year. Rest assured that 2015 has a much brighter outlook for him in this Bears defense. 

The 3-4 scheme is a better fit for Houston, as he's a versatile pass-rusher who can line up at outside linebacker, defensive end or even be kicked inside as a defensive tackle. There isn't a player on this Bears defense who can have as big an impact as Houston from multiple spots.

At either defensive end or outside linebacker, Houston can not only put pressure on the quarterback, but also be a major presence in shutting down the run. As the Bears put more pass-rushers on the field in 3rd-and-long situations, he's an above-average rusher from the defensive tackle spot. 

Last year, the Bears' vanilla defense just wasn't a good fit for Houston's abilities. He's never been a big sack guy, but Houston can still put pressure on the quarterback from a variety of spots and does a nice job setting the edge. 

As this defense currently sits, there are a lot of moving parts. Other than free agent Pernell McPhee, the Bears don't have any set players in their front seven. Ray McDonald, Mason Foster, Ego Ferguson and Jay Ratliff are all starters, but they can be rotated when needed. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Houston had 41 hurries and graded out at a plus-8.2 against the run last season. His ability to complement inside linebackers Jon Bostic and Mason Foster are going to be vital this season. 

As we go further into the numbers, Houston graded out well above average in 2012 (plus-12.4) and 2013 (plus-7.4) with his run defense leading the way. He figures to be the team's best run-stuffing front seven player. 

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio turned defensive end Justin Smith into a Pro Bowler in San Francisco, and he can have similar results with Houston. There's a chance Houston can be an elite defender in this defense. 

Houston's already a good player against the run, but he can get better as a pass-rusher. He struggles to finish sacks and only has a single-season career high of six sacks, which came back in 2013. Houston's best graded year as a pass-rusher came in 2012 with a plus-3.2 rating. Compare that to Smith's best season back in 2011 when he graded out at plus-44.5.

Asking for Smith's 2011 season out of Houston is likely unrealistic, but there's no reason why he can't improve to 10 under Fangio. An improved pass-rushing game to go with his consistent run defense would make Houston one of the best defensive linemen in the league. 

There's one big factor in Houston's potential bounce-back season: Pride. 

Houston came to Chicago on a big contract only to lay an egg and upset a lot of people. He's still a good football player, but Houston needs to show a passionate fanbase that he's no hot dog who just took the money. 

Look for Houston to come out and be productive in 2015. He's a key part of a defense that few people are talking about. If he can have a big 2015, then all will be forgiven for a sack dance that led to a torn ACL.

At just 27 years old, Houston is still a vital young piece of the Chicago defense, and the Bears would be wise to work toward putting him in the best situation to succeed. 

When the first wide receiver's name is called at this year's NFL draft, the player walking to the podium should be Alabama's Amari Cooper. That's not to say it will be; after all, the draft is an inexact science. There's also West Virginia's Kevin White, who's a serious threat to be the first pass-catcher taken.

While no player, regardless of how good he is, represents a sure thing, Cooper seems like a safe bet. This year's recipient of the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's most outstanding wide receiver, is a polished route runner who makes defenses pay with his fluid ability to change direction. Here he is catching passes at Alabama's pro day.

What stands out is how strong Cooper's legs are. He does a terrific job of maintaining a low base so that when it's time to change direction, he simply plants his leg in the ground and seamlessly creates space for himself. There's also no wasted motion with Cooper. Everything has a purpose. These tools will allow him to make an immediate impact in the NFL.

According to Cooper's NFL.com draft profile, he ran the 20-yard shuttle in 3.98 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.71 seconds, making him one of the top performers in both categories. These numbers indicate the quickness and body control Cooper has, which, combined with his elite abilities as a route-runner, will allow him to line up anywhere across the line of scrimmage. He could even be used coming out of the backfield, something he rarely, if ever, did at Alabama.

If Cooper is not the first wide receiver selected at the NFL draft, there are several candidates who stand out above the rest, ranging from Dorial Green-Beckham to DeVante Parker to White. However, for a variety of reasons, none more paramount than talent, the latter has separated himself from the pack.

This is reflected in the fact that most draft experts have Cooper and White as the top two wide receivers to come off the board. Not one of CBS Sports.com's Pete Prisco, Will Brinson, Rob Rang and Dane Brugler had Parker or Green-Beckham going ahead of either player.

What separates Cooper from White? Aside from polish, there is production. In addition to his performances at the combine, his prospect page highlights some of his accomplishments during his three seasons at Alabama. As a junior, he led the nation in receptions with 124, and his 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns were both the second-most in the country.

As stated on his prospect page, these numbers made Cooper a Heisman Trophy finalist, a unanimous first-team All American and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. What makes these accolades even more impressive is the fact they came against elite competition in the Southeastern Conference. As evidenced by NFL.com's Charles Davis' mock draft, the conference could boast as many as 10 first-round picks at this year's draft.

White, a junior college transfer, skyrocketed up draft charts after a breakout season at West Virginia, taking advantage of suspect defenses in the Big 12. He finished the year with 109 catches, 1,447 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns, per ESPN.com. According to his NFL.com draft profile, he opened his senior campaign with seven consecutive 100-yard receiving games and hauled in 16 catches against Texas.

White's advantages are his size, speed and strength. According to NFL.com, the 6'3" wide receiver ran a 4.35 40-yard dash, which tied for the fourth-fastest time at the combine. His 23 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press put him in a three-way tie with Sammie Coates and Geremy Davis for first place among wide receivers. These traits give him the potential to be a premier vertical threat.

Make no mistake; White has big-time potential. However, Cooper is more polished, versatile and battle-tested. Whether it's the Jaguars at number three, the Raiders at number four or a team that trades up, the highly decorated receiver from Alabama should be the first player drafted at his position.