LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Cornerback D.J. Moore is only 5-foot-9, but the Bears aren’t concerned that the fourth-round draft pick is too short to excel in the NFL.

Moore weighs a solid 192 pounds and is a tremendous ballhawk. He had six interceptions in each of his final two seasons at Vanderbilt, including one against No. 1 overall draft pick Matthew Stafford.

Bears fourth-round draft pick D.J. Moore had 12 interceptions in his final two seasons at Vanderbilt.

“I see him more as short, not small, but he plays tall,” said general manager Jerry Angelo. 

“The guy’s got incredible leaping ability. He made an interception against Georgia; there aren’t [more than] three guys in the league that can make that interception going up for the ball. He’s got some special ball skills.”

Moore showed his versatility at Vanderbilt by also lining up as a receiver, tailback and slot back as well as returning punts and kickoffs and taking direct snaps from center.

Last season as a junior Moore averaged 19.4 yards on 21 kickoff returns and 14.4 yards on 17 punt returns. He also caught seven passes for 143 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for 76 yards on nine carries.

“He played about 10 or 20 plays on offense almost every game and then he would go over and be a corner and then he would be a returner,” Angelo said. “He’s a special athlete.

“I haven’t seen a corner with these kind of ball skills since [Nate] Vasher. And he’s very, very athletic. To throw a guy over on offense for 10 or so plays each week tells you a little bit about his athleticism and his versatility."

In demand: Fourth-round defensive end Henry Melton was one of four Bears picks who made a pre-draft visit to Halas Hall after not being invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. The others were sixth-round safety Al Afalava, seventh-round tight end Lance Louis and seventh-round receiver Derek Kinder.

A natural pass rusher who possesses size, speed and athleticism, Melton played running back during his first two seasons at Texas before being switched to defensive end. Although he’s not the most polished prospect, the 6-3, 280-pounder was seemingly in demand as the draft approached.

“He had a lot of buzz going on,” Angelo said. “I think he made 12 visits, which is an inordinate amount of visits for a non-Combine player. So I felt if we wanted him we needed to take him in the fourth because he wouldn’t be there in the fifth. I feel real good about his traits and the ceiling of what he can be.”

Promising prospect: Freeman is another player with excellent traits. The Bears identified him as a possible second- or third-round pick after his junior year at Ohio State, but he opted to return to school.

The 6-foot, 239-pounder had a productive senior season in 2008, registering 84 tackles, 9½ tackles for loss and 3½ sacks while starting all 13 games. But he was hampered at times by an ankle injury.

“He went down to the Senior Bowl probably as healthy as he’d been all year and did a pretty good job down there, so we felt pretty good,” Angelo said. “He’s got to clean up some things for him to take another step. He’s not polished; he’s not ready right now. But all the things we look for from an athletic and a physical standpoint, he has.”

Big and fast: Louis is also a versatile and athletic young prospect. The 6-2, 303-pounder played tight end his first two seasons at San Diego State before being moved to right guard in 2007 and right tackle in 2008.

In San Diego for the NFL owners meetings, Angelo attended a workout the Bears had set up with Louis.

“He ran a 4.75 at around 300 pounds,” Angelo said. “I’ve never seen a guy that big since (former NFL offensive lineman) Randall McDaniel run that fast, and when he ran that fast, he was about 275 pounds.

“[Louis] has some special traits. We even threw passes out of the fullback position just to give him a look there. He’s a pretty good athlete, so we said with that versatility in the seventh round, why not?”