Chicago Bears Draft Recap: Rounds Two and Three

Trading up in the second round, the Chicago Bears jumped on Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea at the 49^th overall pick. Paea would have been a possible target in the first round for Jerry Angelo and Tim Ruskell had Gabe Carimi not been available, so finding him in the second round means the Bears picked up two talents on which they clearly had first round grades. The 6’1”, 303-pound Paea set an NFL combine record with 49 reps of 225 pounds, so he’s got the strength to play up the middle in Rod Marinelli’s defense.

After defensive tackle Marvin Austin came off the board (another draft possibility), Chicago jumped up by trading their second and fourth round picks (62 & 127 overall) to the Redskins for the 49^th overall selection. Interestingly enough, that fourth round pick would have been sent to the Ravens in last night’s botched transaction, so the Bears did make use of it eventually. (Though we still looked moronic in the process.)

In the third round, the Bears drafted safety Chris Conte out of California. At 6’2” and 197 pounds, Conte is a big, physical safety who will lay the wood on the ball-carrier. That being said, he may not find the field as a starter. He’ll likely take a role initially as a special-teamer and a back-up strong safety behind Chris Harris. This is the first pick of this draft that I’m not 100% behind. I would have rather seen a legitimate corner rather than another “hybrid” safety. However, Lovie Smith doesn’t distinguish between the two safety spots in the cover-two, and he’s got plenty of mediocre at both. If Conte can develop alongside Major Wright, perhaps he’s found his future starting safeties.

On the final day of the draft, the Bears are going to look at corner and wide receiver. There’s plenty of room to take another lineman on the offensive (perhaps a center/guard project) or defensive front as well. Still, look for them to try and trade back to get a few more in the late rounds or for next year’s draft. Keep an eye on receiver Edmund Gates. He's another quick, fast receiver out of Abilene Christian University (like Knox and Manning), which means he has Bears written all over him.

I'll be back tomorrow with more draft goodness!