With the 79th Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears Select Safety Brandon Hardin

So far, we've seen the Bears go defensive end in the first round and trade up aggressively to take Alshon Jeffery in the second round. In the third round, the Bears take safety Brandon Hardin from Oregon State with the 79th pick.

Safety is a little bit of an odd selection here with offensive tackle Bobbie Massie on the board as well as solid defensive tackle prospects. But he's a high-upside player with a prototypical free safety build. He's got very good speed, very good explosiveness, solid tackler and a physical player. Additionally, he's an excellent special teams defender.

It improves a safety corps loaded with the last two third round picks, Craig Steltz and a couple UDFAs, so it is a position of need, though maybe not as high profile as offensive lineman is.