Have pick, will trade
April 22, 2005
BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter
The best-case scenario for the Bears is that they find a team to trade down with in the top 10 of the NFL draft.
That was easy to infer from listening to coach Lovie Smith on Thursday. The Bears know what they can get with the No. 4 pick, but they apparently like the multiple opportunities they would have if they slide down a few spots.
"There are only three guys going ahead of us,'' Smith said. "We know at the very worst we can stay there and get a good player that we feel comfortable with.''
Like it or not, staying at No. 4 might be what the Bears wind up doing Saturday. While the Washington Redskins are calling everyone, including the Bears, their intention appears to be to package the Nos. 9 and 25 picks to draft Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards. The Redskins interviewed Edwards on Thursday, and they likely will have to deal with the Miami Dolphins at No. 2 or the Cleveland Browns at No. 3 to make a play for him.
The Redskins' first-round picks would be close to fair value for the No. 4 pick, according to the chart developed by draft czar Jimmy Johnson, but Edwards is likely to go among the top three. If the Bears dropped to ninth, they potentially could choose between Texas running back Cedric Benson and USC wide receiver Mike Williams and greatly reduce the signing bonus they would have to pay. The Sun-Times reported Monday the Bears have interest in Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell, and he could be selected at No. 25.
General manager Jerry Angelo, who was in meetings throughout the presentation of the Brian Piccolo Awards, has said the Bears have identified how low they would be willing to go in a trade-down situation. He does not want to go out of the top 10, knowing he would be vilified if he did.
"There are players we have pinpointed we would like to have,'' Smith said. "Once you start getting down that far, there's a chance you may not get that player. I'll just say that the draft is a lot better than it is given credit for.''
The thinking at Halas Hall is that the Bears' pick will have the most value if the San Francisco 49ers use the No. 1 choice on California quarterback Aaron Rodgers. While that might create a frenzy of interest in the next three picks, most observers expect the 49ers to go with Utah quarterback Alex Smith, whom the Dolphins also covet.
If Rodgers goes in the top three, it greatly increases the chance the Bears will have their pick of running backs: Auburn's Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams and Benson. And if Rodgers is available at No. 4, the Bears could field calls about the pick, though he also might free-fall through the first round.
Other than the Redskins fishing around, the Bears' phones have been quiet, with Smith calling it the calm before the storm. It's one Angelo needs to weather coming off his third losing season in a row.
"Right now, every team [ahead of the Bears] is trying to get it out that they would like to do one of two things,'' Smith said. "They want you to think they're going to take a quarterback or a running back. Every team wants you to think that. Every team wants you to think they would move down. We're all in the same boat. You never really know.
"We have a good feeling who we would like to take at that [fourth] pick. By now, we better. We have a few options, but, yes, if we stay at the fourth pick, we have a good idea who will be there and who we would like.''
It won't be long before the Bears are on the clock.
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