Whether they can elude the obstacles that come with it, most significant the learning curve at the NFL level, remains to be seen. But there isn't a lot among Juaquin Iglesias, Johnny Knox and Derek Kinder and the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution in their first seasons.

Whether it will happen remains to be seen. The Bears , as well as any other organization, know the pitfalls that come with receivers in their first season. Earl Bennett barely saw the playing field last season and didn't catch a pass. Bernard Berrian didn't start to come on until the end of his second season. David Terrell was actually productive in his first season by comparison.

It's not just reading the playbook, it's reading defenses -- defenses that have cornerbacks who play the kind of press coverage you don't see a lot in college. There are so many nuances to the pro passing game and that playing the position is much more complex than the job of say a running back, who takes the ball into the designed hole on each play.

As much as the Bears' draft was about the defense with athletic linemen Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton coming in two of the first three selections, the help that is needed immediately is at wide receiver. That's why general manager Jerry Angelo used three of his nine picks on wideouts.

Devin Hester and Bennett are in position to be starters, and Rashied Davis has a job. Iglesias, a third-round pick, and Knox, a fifth-round pick, will be safe based on their draft status. That leaves Kinder with undrafted free agent Eric Peterman from Northwestern and veteran Brandon Rideau as the likely candidates to battle for a sixth receiver spot that might not even be there.

The Bears will keep five wideouts. If someone shows well enough, they'll keep a sixth, but that's a big if more than four months before the 53-man roster will be constructed. Special teams will factor in the decision.

Iglesias looked the part Friday in the first day of rookie minicamp at Halas Hall. He's got a nice durable frame at 6-1, 210 pounds, and he looked smooth operating with quarterbacks not named Jay Cutler. That doesn't mean he's not reaching out to his new teammate.

Cutler texted Iglesias shortly after he was drafted and welcomed him to the team. Iglesias responded Wednesday by texting happy 26th birthday wishes to Cutler.

''I'm just trying to make him my best friend right now,'' Iglesias said. ''We'll make it work.''

Knox showed off the quickness and speed advertised on draft day when the Bears quietly made it be known they thought they got a steal in Round 5. His adjustment coming from Division II Abilene Christian will be even steeper than the transition Iglesias has to make coming from Oklahoma, where he was a three-year starter.

''Looking over the playbook today, it was pretty hard,'' Knox said. ''So I'm going to have to work on it [every day] throughout the season.''

The Bears blamed Bennett's lost season on having to learn all three positions as a backup. With veterans Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd cleared out, it could be easier for Iglesias to carve out a niche for himself.

''He'll have a better chance to play because he won't have those veteran guys in front of him,'' wide receivers coach Darryl Drake said. ''Last year, we had a luxury of having two veteran guys there and we could slow [Bennett's] progress down some. We may accelerate [Iglesias'] progress a little.''

They will have to, considering there isn't a fourth option right now. Handicapping the rest of the position is interesting. Rideau provides the kind of tall receiver they really don't have, but he wasn't able to make the necessary contributions on special teams as a backup last season. Peterman is speedy and might be able to fill in on special teams. Kinder has to show some versatility as well.

But in a draft where the Bears went with athletic players who project to complementary roles, Iglesias looks to be the closest thing they have to a polished performer.

''I can't make any assumptions on anybody in a minicamp on the first day when we're throwing stuff at them,'' Drake said. ''Ask me how Iglesias looks at the end of camp, at the end of training camp. When he learns the offense and it all sinks in, that's when we're going to be able to tell. I ain't good enough to tell if he's good enough in one day.

''We hope this is a group we can count on, but you don't ever know.''

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