So there is barely any news on the Chicago front. After waiting over five hours to make their only pick of the day at number 17 in the second round (49th overall), the Chicago Bears made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. The Bears sent their 2nd round selection to Seattle and received the Seahawks’ 3rd round (68th overall) and 4th round (105th) choices, both of which will be on Sunday.
This struck me as fairly odd. Georgia wide-out Mohamed Massaquoi and Missouri safety William Moore were still on the board at 49. Massaquoi was the last remaining receiver that would warrant a high selection and could have slid in at the number two spot in the Bears’ offense. Moore was Mel Kiper’s top-rated safety in the entire draft. Maybe Jerry Angelo didn’t think Moore had the instincts for the free safety spot, but Massaquoi was a target all along. Instead, the Bears trade out of the first day of the draft and will have an extremely busy Sunday with nine selections in the final four rounds.
Dallas also traded out of the first day, which means Jerry Angelo did something Jerry Jones-like. (Weird, I know.) It sparked comments from the analysts on ESPN and the NFL Network that scouts told them that this draft class wasn’t very strong or deep. If the Bears really didn’t feel any player they wanted was available, trading down is the right idea. Still, trading down from the middle of the second round when it is your first pick will always confuse me.
In related Bears news:
The Denver Broncos used the third round pick from Chicago (acquired in the Jay Cutler deal) in a package to move back into the second round to pick tight end Richard Quinn. In the more puzzling move out of Denver, they sent their original first round selection in 2010 to Seattle so they could draft cornerback Alphonso Smith in the early second round (37th). They still have Chicago’s first rounder, which means Denver thinks they’ll finish ahead of the Bears in the standings, thus keeping the higher pick. (Could be an interesting topic of discussion, given the lackluster divisions each team occupies.) Denver’s day was odd. Giving up a first-rounder next year is risky, given 2010’s believed status as a better draft class.
Other Early Draft Notes:
-Ballsy move by the Jets to move up and take USC QB Mark Sanchez at no. 5. They only gave up 1st and 2nd round picks and three players Rex Ryan didn’t want anyway. NY’s former coach Eric Mangini, now the coach of the Cleveland Browns who signed and drafted those three players, was all too happy to bring them to his new team. Sanchez will probably start right away in New York. They need him.
-Did anyone else think Mangini and New England’s Bill Belichick were in a spitting contest to see who could pull off the most deals? Cleveland traded down in the first round three times and New England traded down and then traded back up. (The Patriots made four second round selections. That’s right, four.)
-Minnesota drafts wide receiver Percy Harvin. This move scares me a bit. If only the Vikings had an actual quarterback. Still, it will free up Adrian Peterson out of the backfield and take some coverage from Bernard Berrian. If Tarvaris Jackson takes the next step forward, Minnesota’s offense could be too explosive to handle.
-Detroit was busy indeed. With three picks on day one, the Lions took QB Matthew Stafford at number one overall, tight end Brandon Pettigrew at 20 (acquired in the Roy Williams to Dallas deal), and safety Louis Delmas at 33. It seems like a great first day for the winless Lions. Though in fairness, they might find a way to screw it up. It is the Lions, after all.
I’ll have more news and reactions tomorrow! Also, the Bears WILL have draft picks to analyze, I swear.
