Should the Chicago Bears Trade Down in the 2009 Draft?

In my last article and subsequent comment section, I discussed some of the problems facing teams that go into the NFL draft thinking that they're going to fix today's problems with rookie players.

The parity in the NFL has made it very difficult for teams to make the playoffs every single year, and few teams have accomplished that feat in a long time. Most teams who miss the playoffs cannot enter the draft with the philosophy that all they need to do is pick up a couple of players at key positions and they will win the Super Bowl the following year.

Teams that routinely make the playoffs year in and year out are the teams that end up winning Super Bowls, it's that simple (I guess now you know my pick for who will win this Sunday).

At the end of the day, the Bears are just another team that sat at home and watched the playoffs this past month, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Many of you may find this idea radical, moronic, or maybe just crazy enough to work.

I believe that the best thing the Bears can do with their 18th overall pick is trade it away to a bottom feeder franchise who will give up just about anything to get first round talent on their roster.

The Bears have plenty of talent, albeit overpaid talent, but talent just the same. What they lack is depth at several positions where former Pro-Bowlers currently play, but which will be wide open holes in the next couple of years if the Bears don't play smart in the draft.

The most pressing need for depth is not on defense but on the offensive line. Former Pro-Bowlers John Tait and Olin Kreutz are both going to be leaving soon enough. So the Bears should count their blessings that this draft is chock full of talented centers, guards and right tackles that will be drafted in the second round or later.

Another reason is that I don't think there will be many players available by the 18th pick who have the kind of potential the Bears claim to be in the market for, particularly at defensive end or wide receiver.

The way I see it, if the player's name is not Orakpo or Crabtree, you're essentially taking a huge shot in the dark and you're not likely to have a future hall of fame receiver or defensive end on your hands.

That doesn't mean I think Crabtree and Orakpo will make it to Canton someday, but I think they outstrip any of the other first round prospects at those two positions.

Additionally, the Bears have not had much success in the first round in recent years. Maybe to some of you I'm just beating a dead horse here, but it's important to look back on some of Jerry Angelo's decisions and see where he's struggled.

2004: Tommie Harris had a couple of stellar seasons, but as far as I'm concerned, this coming year will prove to be his make-or-break season as far as his legacy goes. Injuries and off-field incidents have taken away from his production.

2005: I think we all remember how Cedric Benson worked out. I won't say any more here.

2006: This year, the Bears traded down with fairly good results (another reason they should consider doing it again), taking Devin Hester and Danieal Manning in the second round, as well as Dvoracek and Jamar Williams, all of whom have been solid contributors, despite not being taken in the first round.

2007: While Greg Olsen was a solid pickup in the first round of the 2007 Draft, let's face it: At No. 31, he came much closer to being picked in the second round than he came to being picked 18th.

Last year, Chris Williams got hurt on the second day of training camp, due in part to a lingering back problem that should have been investigated more by the Bears before deciding to pull the trigger on him.

The point is that when there isn't going to be a player in the draft available to you who can step in as a rookie and single-handedly correct a pressing team need, and you're a team that's on the cusp of being playoff material with a lot of aging veterans.

You're better off stabilizing your team with a few second round picks than deciding you have to take the best defensive end or wide receiver available in the first round, no matter how good they truly are.

Trading down would enable the Bears to acquire a solid center, a guard, a right tackle, and possibly a change of pace running back.

Let's see what Marinelli can do for the pass rush. Let's see what John Hoke can do for the secondary, and let's see what happens now that Bob Babich has been demoted and Lovie is calling the plays.

Those changes should yield greater improvements than any first round draft pick this season could ever be expected to, no matter what the position.

But as we learned this year, a franchise quarterback is a rare and valuable thing. Luckily for the Bears and their fans they have Kyle Orton for another year and a huge crop of college quarterbacks who will be entering the draft in 2010. The timing could not be more perfect.

So let's stop all this talk about which defensive end they should take, or which second round quarterback will have the best chance to start next year for the Bears. It's foolish and impractical.

The Bears don't need to rebuild this offseason as much as they need to stabilize their roster and put the franchise in position to make the playoffs, not just in 2010, but for years to come. It's what all of the most successful franchises do.

The best way to guarantee that? A solid running game powered by a young, physical offensive line and a stout defense.

It isn't rocket science. The Bears can't afford another draft bust. To me, the best way to avoid that is to trade down and look to lower rounds to start molding tomorrow's Bears.