In the third of nine position previews in advance of training camp, Darryl Drake discusses Bears wide receivers:

How well has Devin Hester made the transition to offense?

He’s done a tremendous job. He’s a guy that has so much want-to. He’s picked up things really well. He’s excited about what he brings to the table and I’m excited about him. But he’s really exceeded my expectations of what he could do.

Converted cornerback Devin Hester excelled on offense during the Bears' offseason workouts.

He’s a threat every time he’s got the ball in his hands and he’s able to take a five-yard play and make it a 35- or 40-yard play. He’s a guy who is exciting with the ball in his hands and can make people miss. He catches the ball really well and comes in and out of his breaks. I’m excited about what he brings to the table and excited for our group to have him.

You’ve seen a lot of great players while coaching in college and the NFL. How special of a talent is Devin?

He’s as special as any kid I’ve ever been around. He has that innate ability to do certain things when he has the ball in his hands. It’s a gift. He works hard to strengthen that gift and he’s very humble, so he’ll continue to excel.

What role do you envision he’ll fill this season?

We’re going to do different things with him and just try to put him in situations where he can be successful and where he can help this offense. His role first and foremost is always going to be on special teams, but there are some things that we would like to do with him to try to get the ball in his hands.

Is Muhsin Muhammad the same player he was when he signed with the Bears a few years ago and what are your expectations for him?

Sure he is the same player. Moose works very hard and takes care of himself. He’s still able to go out there and make plays. He’s been our leading receiver the last couple years. He does a tremendous job. You don’t see very much decline at all. He’s still got a lot of football left and I’m excited about the year he’s going to have.

Bernard Berrian emerged as a playmaker last season. What’s the key to him taking the next step this year and building on that success?

It’s just consistency and continuing to work. He put himself in an elite class amongst his peers in the league. He’s starting to garner a lot of respect. People know that he is a guy that needs to be dealt with and one that you need to be concerned with. He was consistent last season, but we need to expand on that. He needs to be consistent again this year for us to be successful.

What kind of potential does Bernard have?

He has outstanding potential. He has the potential to be as good as there is out there. He’s really gotten better each and every year and I look forward to him having a really outstanding year.

What’s the outlook for Rashied Davis?

I’m extremely pleased with Rashied. This will be his second year in the offense. He had a tremendous year last year. This year I expect him to have an even better year. He’s gotten so much better as far as his route running techniques and his understanding of the game. We’re real fortunate to have him. He’s a guy that has a lot of ability, but he’s also got a lot of character.

How healthy is Mark Bradley and what are your expectations for him?

Usually we say that a guy going into his third year is a guy who should take off. This is Mark’s third year and we are expecting him to take off. He’s 100 percent healthy and he had a really good offseason. He’s improved tremendously, so I look forward to him giving us the depth we need and for him to have an exciting year. But I’ve been very pleased with what he’s done.

Who else could possibly land a roster spot by performing well in training camp and the preseason?

You start with a guy like Mike Hass, who has done a tremendous job. He’s a guy who catches the ball really well and runs good routes. He had a really good offseason. Brandon Rideau is a guy with some size, speed and athletic ability who has done a great job too. Those two guys have been with us for a while. They did a great job this offseason and put themselves in position to have a chance to compete. Competition brings success. They provide competition out there and put us in a situation where it’s made all the other guys better. The expectations for those two guys are really high. And then you’ve got Drisan James. He’s a free agent who showed some life and some spark and has done a really good job. Dave Ball and Timon Marshall have also done a tremendous job. So we feel good about the group. We feel good about where this thing’s headed and hope these guys come into camp ready to go.