The Chicago Bears would be better off taking an offensive lineman at No. 29 in the upcoming NFL Draft, and waiting until the second round to address their needs on the defensive line, according to ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

"You can definitely get players in the second round area at the defensive tackle spot that could be a factor for you," Kiper said Wednesday on a national conference call. "At offensive tackle, not as much."

Considered a deep draft on the defensive line, Kiper listed three players with second-round grades who could fit into the Bears' system: LSU's Drake Nevis, North Carolina's Marvin Austin and Iowa's Christian Ballard.

"Nevis a three-technique; he's quick, got some explosiveness and is the kind of guy that in some schemes won't fit because of size," Kiper said. "If Marvin Austin would have played this year, he probably would have been a first-round pick, but right now he's a second or third. Ballard gives you a lot of versatility and is an inside or outside guy."

Kiper projects four offensive tackles (Tyron Smith, Anthony Castonzo, Nate Solder and Gabe Carimi) will be taken in the first round between No. 13 and No. 29. If the Bears decide to pass on one of those tackles and a player like offensive guard/center Mike Pouncey, the number of quality offensive line options dwindle in the late second round, according to Kiper.

"That's the position right now, unless you are looking at a Derek Sherrod slipping, and I don't think he's going to get past the early to middle two area from Mississippi State, [and] Ben Ijalana stock's is dropping a little bit out of Villanova, maybe he drops he drops into the late second," Kiper said. "If he does, maybe he's be a nice pick at that point. James Carpenter from Alabama may be a guy you take late in the second round, but there is not a lot of certainty there.

"Marcus Gilbert from Florida is another kid if he slipped into the late second would be a nice pick, and the [Bears] going through the process have always liked Florida kids, so that might be a name to write down there as a possibility for them. So there are options, it's just slim pickings.

"You have a better chance to get a defensive tackle than you would an offensive tackle at that point."