The first three rounds of the 2009 draft will produce exactly 100 picks, which includes 4 compensatory picks. The Chicago Bears will have 4 of the first 100.
Peter King took a look at teams from last year that had at least 10 wins, and how they are set up in the first 3 rounds... and saw the possibility of good teams in position to get better:
- New England: 6 picks (23, 34, 47, 58, 89, 97)
- New York Giants: 5 picks (29, 45, 60, 91, 100)
And as you know, those happen to be the 2 teams that played in Super Bowl XLII... and they have 11 of the top 100 picks. Scary.
Also mentioned in the article were: Miami (4 picks), Minnesota (3), Atlanta (3), Baltimore (3), Indianapolis (3), Tennessee (3), Pittsburgh (3), and Carolina (3).
Let's take a look at how the Bears will compare to these teams in regards to the first 100 picks...
Chicago has 4 picks in the first 100, picking at 18, 49, 84, and 99. It is looking more and more like we are addressing our OL needs in free agency (how effectively we are addressing it is left up to you), and a lot of you have expressed that our 18th pick might should now be used on a WR, or to trade down and acquire additional picks (WCG thinks Jerry Angelo may be able to trade down and end up with ten 7th round picks).
I really like the fact that we have 4 picks, and we are certainly looking like it may be beneficial to trade down to get more. A few of the wide recievers that the Bears may be interested in will very likely still be available after the 18th pick has passed. The same can be said for a few offensive linemen that we may look at.
There is also the possibility of trading up... not a topic that too many of you are fond of, but still could be considered. If a big playmaker is still on the board between the 10th and the 17th slots, it might not be too far fetched of an idea to move up and make it happen.
With 4 of the top 100 picks in the draft, and a few free agency signings under our belt, it seems like we should have a bit of wiggle-room in how we execute our picks.
But here is what I am wondering... and I know that the readers of WCG have some good insights into this:
1- Which players might be good options if we were to trade down?
2- Which players may fall to the 10th-17th picks that would be worth trading up for?