LAKE FOREST – Bears wide receiver Johnny Knox has not watched the replay of the hit that broke a vertebra in his lower back and put his NFL career on hold.

Knox doesn’t plan to watch the replay from Dec. 18 anytime soon, either.

“I probably don’t want to see it until I retire,” Knox said Wednesday.

Knox watched the Bears’ organized team activities from the sidelines, and it’s uncertain when he will be able to join the action on the field. He acknowledged a possibility that he might miss the upcoming season but hoped otherwise.

“It could happen,” Knox said, “but I’m staying optimistic. My main focus is on the weight room. That’s all I’m focused on. I’m not in a rush.

“This is my spine, the core of my body I’m dealing with. It’s not my knee or my ankle or my shoulder. I’m taking my time.”

Knox, who was listed at 6-feet-tall and 180 pounds at the start of last season, said he lost about 30 pounds after his back surgery. He has regained about 10 pounds and hopes to add more via weight training, although he can train only with machine weights now because trainers fear that using free weights could lead to a setback.

Knox said he spent three days in the hospital and was forced to wear a back brace for 2 ½ months after his surgery. That was not easy for a player whose elite speed helped him tally 2,214 receiving yards and 1,506 return yards in three NFL seasons.

“It was tough at first, but I got used to it,” said Knox, who has resumed jogging. “But it was all for a good reason. My doctors and the training staff stayed hard on me, wanting to keep me in it, because it helped me get right.”

Knox said he never allowed “Why me?” questions to slow his progress.

“Since Day One, my mindset has been real positive,” Knox said. “No letdowns. No setbacks. I’m surrounded by a great group of people, a great organization, friends, family and they’re keeping me positive, and I’m just staying positive and moving forward.”

-Tom Musick

If rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery runs routes as quickly as he signs contracts, the Bears could have a star player on their hands.

Jeffery agreed to a four-year contract Wednesday, which was five days after the Bears selected him in the second round (No. 45 overall) of the NFL draft. Jeffery is the first Bears’ selection to sign, and he is believed to be the first member of this year’s draft class to agree to a deal.

In 40 games with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Jeffery caught 183 passes for 3,042 yards and 23 touchdowns. He set a school record with 12 100-yard receiving games.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

-Tom Musick

LAKE FOREST - The Chicago Bears offense in 2012 is shaping up to be a little bit different than the one that finished 24th in total offense last season.

The Bears selected Evan Rodriguez, a tight end out of Temple University, with their fourth-round selection (No. 111 overall). Rodriguez had 35 catches for 479 yards and two touchdowns in his senior year at Temple.

"Right role, fight fit for player and team," Chicago Bears general ma We see Evan as a combination of a fullback and an F tight end. We really felt we really had a very defined need with the system changes that coach Tice will bring in terms of having a vertical tight end.

Rodriguez is listed at 6-foot-1.5, weighing 240 pounds. Rodriguez had the third-fastest 40-yard-dash time at the NFL Combine among tight ends, running it in 4.58 seconds, and recorded the top vertical jump at 36 inches.

Coming into the draft, there were questions about Rodriguez's off-field issues. During his freshman year at West Virginia, Rodriguez was charged with assault after an alleged altercation with a female resident advisor in a dormitory. He was suspended from the team, granted his release and transferred to Temple.

The Bears' selection of Rodriguez is the second offensive player the Bears have added in the 2012 NFL Draft. The Bears selected South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery with the second round on Friday, trading up five spots to grab the highly regarded pass-catcher.

-- Ross Jacobson

The Bears traded up to land wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (diving) in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday. (AP photo)

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LAKE FOREST – Jay Cutler just landed another big target.

The Bears moved up five picks in the second round Friday to select South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. They dealt their second-round (No. 50 overall) and fifth-round (No. 150 overall) picks to the St. Louis Rams in order to grab the high-ceiling wideout.

In the third round, the Bears selected safety Brandon Hardin from Oregon State. Hardin missed the 2011 season because of a shoulder injury, but he returned to play in the East-West Shrine Game and dazzled scouts with 4.4-second speed in the 40-yard dash.

However, the Bears' Day 2 highlight centered on their newest receiver.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to be a Chicago Bear,” Jeffery said via conference call.

So are the Bears.

Jeffery (6-3, 216) ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash during his agility tests and bench pressed 225 pounds 18 times, which was only one shy of Bears’ first-round pick Shea McClellin.

As a sophomore, Jeffery was named a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation’s top receiver. He caught 88 passes for 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns in 2010, but he regressed as a junior with 49 catches for 762 yards and eight touchdowns.

Jeffery said part of the reason his statistics declined was because South Carolina transitioned to more of a run-first offense. The strategy worked, he said, as the Gamecocks went 11-2 and pounded the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 30-13, on Jan. 2 in the Capitol One Bowl.

Jeffery said his playing style was easy to describe.

“I’m a competitor,” said Jeffery, who was a four-star recruit as a high school player in St. Matthews, S.C. “I just love making plays and catching the ball and winning my battles.”

By adding Jeffery, the Bears provided Cutler with a deep threat to go along with Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Jeffery could represent a taller, stronger version of Johnny Knox, whose status for next season is in question as he recovers from back surgery.

Earl Bennett figures to serve as Cutler’s go-to target on third downs again next season. The Bears also have Devin Hester, Eric Weems, Devin Thomas and Dane Sanzenbacher on the roster, which should lead to an intriguing competition during training camp this summer.

Jeffery became the second South Carolina wide receiver to be drafted by the Bears. The first was Marcus Robinson in 1997.

The Bears have the No. 79 overall in the third round later Friday. Bears general manager Phil Emery is expected to address the media after the team makes its third-round selection.

The Bears traded up to land wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (diving) in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday. (AP photo)

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LAKE FOREST – Jay Cutler just landed another big target.

The Bears moved up five picks in the second round Friday to select South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. They dealt their second-round (No. 50 overall) and fifth-round (No. 150 overall) picks to the St. Louis Rams in order to grab the high-ceiling wideout.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to be a Chicago Bear,” Jeffery said via conference call.

So are the Bears.

Jeffery (6-3, 216) ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash during his agility tests and bench pressed 225 pounds 18 times, which was only one shy of Bears’ first-round pick Shea McClellin.

As a sophomore, Jeffery was named a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation’s top receiver. He caught 88 passes for 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns in 2010, but he regressed as a junior with 49 catches for 762 yards and eight touchdowns.

Jeffery said part of the reason his statistics declined was because South Carolina transitioned to more of a run-first offense. The strategy worked, he said, as the Gamecocks went 11-2 and pounded the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 30-13, on Jan. 2 in the Capitol One Bowl.

Jeffery said his playing style was easy to describe.

“I’m a competitor,” said Jeffery, who was a four-star recruit as a high school player in St. Matthews, S.C. “I just love making plays and catching the ball and winning my battles.”

By adding Jeffery, the Bears provided Cutler with a deep threat to go along with Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Jeffery could represent a taller, stronger version of Johnny Knox, whose status for next season is in question as he recovers from back surgery.

Earl Bennett figures to serve as Cutler’s go-to target on third downs again next season. The Bears also have Devin Hester, Eric Weems, Devin Thomas and Dane Sanzenbacher on the roster, which should lead to an intriguing competition during training camp this summer.

Jeffery became the second South Carolina wide receiver to be drafted by the Bears. The first was Marcus Robinson in 1997.

The Bears have the No. 79 overall in the third round later Friday. Bears general manager Phil Emery is expected to address the media after the team makes its third-round selection.