Chicago Bears May Fill Safety Need by Moving Up in the Draft

According to Brad Biggs, the buzz around Bears circles is that GM Jerry Angelo may be interested in moving up in the NFL draft. That is something that Angelo has done only once in his Bears tenure.

Currently, the Bears lack a first or second round pick, and will not make a selection until 74 other players are picked.

Meanwhile, with a glaring hole at safety, and nobody worth overpaying for on the free agent market, the word is that Angelo may be targeting a safety, and would be willing to move up in the draft to get him.

But just how can he do this? Oh, let me count the ways.

For one, Angelo can package his third and fourth round picks for a second round choice. That would seem unlikely given all the needs the Bears have, including on the offensive and defensive lines, but it is a possibility.

Or, they could package a future pick for one now. Kind of like the old "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" line. (By the way, if you know what I'm talking about you're old. And I know the feeling.)

Biggs quotes Pro Football Weekly writer Nolan Nawrocki as stating that there is more "elite talent" at the safety position this year as opposed to years past.

Biggs quotes Nawrocki as saying "I think (the Bears) have to fill that need, they're looking hard at it, and I think there is a chance they could potentially move up to the second round, trade up, and I know I have heard some discussion around the league about that possibility. They should be able to address the needs with the players that are in this draft."

For those of you thinking that the Bears might be able to package Alex Brown in a deal that nets them a swap of third and second round picks, forgettaboutit.

Teams are aware that Brown is likely to get released, so it would be illogical for any of them to pony up a high draft pick at this point for an average defensive end who is 30-years-old.

Briggs also quotes Lovie Smith as saying that the Bears needed to "invest" more in the safety position, so a late round pick doesn't seem like the proper investment—especially when Nawrocki speculates that as many as four safeties could go in the first round alone.

What do you think the Bears should do?