Bears trade 2nd-round pick to Seattle, have 9 picks today

After all the anticipation and all the projections, the Bears traded completely out of the first day of the NFL draft.

They swapped their only Saturday pick (49th overall) to the Seahawks in exchange for Seattle's early third-round pick (68th overall) and their early fourth (105th overall) today.

That gives the Bears nine picks on Day 2, including the seven they originally had - Nos. 99, 119, 140, 154, 190, 246 and 251. Only twice before in franchise history have the Bears not had a pick in the first two rounds, 1978 and 1970.

While they were not feeling the draft, the Bears at least discussed the availability of disgruntled Pro Bowl wide receiver Anquan Boldin with the Cardinals.

"It just didn't come together," said Bears general manager Jerry Angelo, who called the deal dead. "I felt if it was going to happen, it would happen (Saturday)."

Angelo said earlier the Bears would target a wide receiver in the draft, but they didn't believe Georgia's Mohamed Massaquoi was a good value at No. 49 after seven other wide receivers were selected - eight if you count West Virginia quarterback Pat White, who projects to wide receiver.

Massaquoi went 50th to the Browns. Ohio State wide receiver Brian Robiskie was a player the Bears hoped would fall to them, but there wasn't much chance of that. He went 36th, also to the Browns.

"Unfortunately, the players that we targeted at 49 did not fall to us, and we weren't in a position to move up," Angelo said. "We just didn't have enough to be an attractive candidate given what people were doing to move up in the draft."

The Bears had already given up their first- and third-rounders this year and next year's No. 1 for quarterback Jay Cutler on April 2. The highest 2009 pick they could have swapped Saturday was their own fourth-rounder (119 overall) because their late third-rounder (99 overall) is a compensatory pick, which cannot be traded.

"So, rather than put a square peg in a round hole and take somebody that we feel we can get tomorrow, we picked up another pick," Angelo said. "We want to get some good football players, and we feel we can get those tomorrow with these picks."

Angelo also admitted that the Bears were also targeting pass rushers, but the Panthers ended the free-fall of Florida State's Everette Brown at No. 43. Brown was considered a first-round talent by many evaluators. Connor Barwin, a workout warrior from Cincinnati, who led the Big East in sacks last season in his first year as a defensive end, impressed Angelo. But the Texans plucked him at No. 46.

The Bears' NFC North division rivals loaded up on talent with six picks in the first 33 Saturday. But they're banking on Cutler making up the difference.

"Everybody in our division got better today," Angelo said Saturday. "We might not have gotten better today, but we got better a few weeks ago, and (Sunday), hopefully, we're going to get a lot better."

They'll have plenty of chances.

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