Thread: Mixed results from Angelo's trading-down stra

Bears may trade out of first round

By Jeff Dickerson
ESPNChicago.com
Archive

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- If recent history is any indication, Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo won't hesitate to deal the team's first-round pick (29th overall) and move out of the first round of the NFL draft.
"I know the question will come up: Will you trade up, will you trade down?" Angelo said Thursday at Halas Hall. "We're always going to be flexible. We always have. Trading down is easier to do and if there's enough players on the board when it's our pick [and] it makes sense, then it's something we would consider very seriously."


If the Bears decide to stay put , it would mark Angelo's first foray into the opening round since taking offensive lineman Chris Williams out of Vanderbilt with the 14th pick in 2008. The Bears dealt their 2009 and 2010 first-round choices to the Denver Broncos as part of the package to acquire quarterback Jay Cutler two seasons ago.

The Bears also sent their last two second-round draft choices to Seattle and Tampa Bay, respectively.

"There are four, five or six guys that, based on our projections and our grades, that would be in the running for the [29th] pick]," Bears director of player personnel Tim Ruskell said. "That's important because when you start thinking about the possibility of trading down, you want to at least have half as many guys that you would like [compared] to the number of picks you go down. That's kind of a rule of thumb. It's not set in stone but Jerry and I have talked about that."


"We also have to look at the needs of those teams behind us," Angelo said. "We don't want to go down and find out we're not really crazy about the guy we're getting. That doesn't make sense either. That's not the theme of the draft, to collect draft picks. You have to feel good about that player you are going to trade down for or you're not going to do it."

According to Angelo, the Bears need to be open to considering at least four different positions with their first-round pick. The three-day draft starts April 28 in New York. Jeff Dickerson covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000.

Guess 'trade down' was the word of the day for writers.. : )

BTW soul, clear your "cache" or eliminate some Pm's you are at your max, and can't receive any now..

Originally Posted by dabears54

Bears may trade out of first round

By Jeff Dickerson
ESPNChicago.com
Archive

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- If recent history is any indication, Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo won't hesitate to deal the team's first-round pick (29th overall) and move out of the first round of the NFL draft.
"I know the question will come up: Will you trade up, will you trade down?" Angelo said Thursday at Halas Hall. "We're always going to be flexible. We always have. Trading down is easier to do and if there's enough players on the board when it's our pick [and] it makes sense, then it's something we would consider very seriously."


If the Bears decide to stay put , it would mark Angelo's first foray into the opening round since taking offensive lineman Chris Williams out of Vanderbilt with the 14th pick in 2008. The Bears dealt their 2009 and 2010 first-round choices to the Denver Broncos as part of the package to acquire quarterback Jay Cutler two seasons ago.

The Bears also sent their last two second-round draft choices to Seattle and Tampa Bay, respectively.

"There are four, five or six guys that, based on our projections and our grades, that would be in the running for the [29th] pick]," Bears director of player personnel Tim Ruskell said. "That's important because when you start thinking about the possibility of trading down, you want to at least have half as many guys that you would like [compared] to the number of picks you go down. That's kind of a rule of thumb. It's not set in stone but Jerry and I have talked about that."


"We also have to look at the needs of those teams behind us," Angelo said. "We don't want to go down and find out we're not really crazy about the guy we're getting. That doesn't make sense either. That's not the theme of the draft, to collect draft picks. You have to feel good about that player you are going to trade down for or you're not going to do it."

According to Angelo, the Bears need to be open to considering at least four different positions with their first-round pick. The three-day draft starts April 28 in New York. Jeff Dickerson covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000.

I think we will see more and more of these stories and this information come floating out over the next week as the Bears position themselves to move down.

If the Bears enter the draft with 6 guys targetted for the 29th pick and they are gone I fully support moving down and accumluating picks.

With all this talm my smoke screen radar is also pointing towards the Bears going opposite of what they are saying.

My concern is always about having guys we've targeted be taken from right under our noses. In 2003 we lose Jimmy Kennedy right before we pick, then trade back one and take our consolation prize Michael Haynes. Not much damage done because neither has had what you would call an illustrious career. We eventually got Kennedy as a FA anyway and he was just a big nothing.

The 2006 trade down that brought us Manning and Dvoracek was a good one and if Dusty had ever remained healthy we may not be having the DT crisis we have now.

Now comes the 2008 draft where we wait for our turn to take the OT we want. Then Denver takes Clady just ahead of us and once again we get the consolation pick. That's twice in a decade we had the #13 pick and got hosed by the team right in front of us.

Then in 2009 we drop back and target Alex Magee and once again we get stiffed because this time KC takes him one pick earlier. That's the third time in 10 years that our top pick has been intercepted by a team one or two picks before ours.

So.........if it just so happens that either Liuget or Carimi are still on the board two picks ahead of us I hope JA won't be shy about spending a 4th round pick to move up and assure that we get him. Other than for that purpose I would just as soon see us trading down, not up.

Originally Posted by dabears54

Guess 'trade down' was the word of the day for writers.. : )

BTW soul, clear your "cache" or eliminate some Pm's you are at your max, and can't receive any now..

Done, and thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by soulman

My concern is always about having guys we've targeted be taken from right under our noses. In 2003 we lose Jimmy Kennedy right before we pick, then trade back one and take our consolation prize Michael Haynes. Not much damage done because neither has had what you would call an illustrious career. We eventually got Kennedy as a FA anyway and he was just a big nothing.

The 2006 trade down that brought us Manning and Dvoracek was a good one and if Dusty had ever remained healthy we may not be having the DT crisis we have now.

Now comes the 2008 draft where we wait for our turn to take the OT we want. Then Denver takes Clady just ahead of us and once again we get the consolation pick. That's twice in a decade we had the #13 pick and got hosed by the team right in front of us.

Then in 2009 we drop back and target Alex Magee and once again we get stiffed because this time KC takes him one pick earlier. That's the third time in 10 years that our top pick has been intercepted by a team one or two picks before ours.

So.........if it just so happens that either Liuget or Carimi are still on the board two picks ahead of us I hope JA won't be shy about spending a 4th round pick to move up and assure that we get him. Other than for that purpose I would just as soon see us trading down, not up.

To me if the board is wiped out and we are thinking about trading down it comes down to the offer.

If I can get a coupleof top 100 picks for 1[29] I would more then likely do it. But if I am getting a 4th round pick or a 5th round pick then just stay at 29 and make the pick.

The offer would need to wow me, especially after 2 years of no 1st round picks.

Originally Posted by WindyCity

To me if the board is wiped out and we are thinking about trading down it comes down to the offer.

If I can get a coupleof top 100 picks for 1[29] I would more then likely do it. But if I am getting a 4th round pick or a 5th round pick then just stay at 29 and make the pick.

The offer would need to wow me, especially after 2 years of no 1st round picks.

I think you may be misreading my post Windy. I talked about giving up a 4th to trade UP a few spots from #29. It would be well worth a 4th to get Carimi or Liuget rather than watch either go just before us as happened three times before. I think it's a moot point though. Right now none of us realistically see that happening.

If we trade down out of #29 we will get two top 100 picks. One in the first half of the second and one in the first half of the third.

Originally Posted by WindyCity

To me if the board is wiped out and we are thinking about trading down it comes down to the offer.

If I can get a coupleof top 100 picks for 1[29] I would more then likely do it. But if I am getting a 4th round pick or a 5th round pick then just stay at 29 and make the pick.

The offer would need to wow me, especially after 2 years of no 1st round picks.

with 3-4 teams maybe lookign at trading down, the offers will come to seattle, NE , balt and atlanta. so the most realistic thing will be one of the top guys falling to us with teams trading before us to grab qb's

Look for Bears to trade down in NFL draft

They need bodies in many places and surest way to get them is to move 1 pick for a couple

Dan McNeil

Amid all the excitement Thursday, it would have been easy for some to have missed a peek at the Bears' future.

It came in the form of the traditional pre-draft news conference at Halas Hall. Whenever the highest ranking members of the Bears' family get near a microphone, I always pull up a chair.

As hard as he tries, Jerry Angelo isn't a very good poker player. The way I heard it, the general manager all but confirmed what I've been telling anybody who will listen for the last couple of weeks: the Bears will trade down, moving the 29th pick in the first round, to get multiple picks in subsequent rounds.

Before fielding the first question, Angelo talked about conversations with other teams about a deal (he said his phone hasn't rung yet), and that "it's easier to trade down." Before he was finished, Angelo noted that "it's hard to hit a home run" with that late first-round pick.

Angelo, who hasn't had a first-round pick since 2008 (Chris Williams) because of the Jay Cutler trade, wants — needs — lots of bodies. He noted he prefers it when he and his staff grow fond of a lot of players instead of "falling in love" with a player.

A somewhat subdued Angelo also suggested offensive linemen "don't bring a lot of glitter" as first-round selections.

He's right about that. But when the Bears' wall of putty couldn't keep Cutler vertical last season and he missed time with scrambled eggs, nobody saw "glitter" in an offense Todd Collins or Caleb Hanie directed.

Angelo was gushing over the draft's depth at defensive tackle. You can bet that's one of "four to six positions" that he believes need immediate help.

The Bears also need a cornerback. Charles Tillman, who had a terrific 2010, would make a better safety than corner at this point in his career. Tillman is one of five Bears defensive starters on the wrong side of 30.

The future of the Bears also was right beside Angelo on Thursday in personnel boss Tim Ruskell, Angelo's successor — and I'm betting sooner than later. On several occasions, Angelo deferred questions to Ruskell.

The belief for some time now has been that Angelo is fed up with the job. He's set financially. He's burned out. He has grown tired of the Bears fishbowl.

It sure sounded Thursday like Ruskell is being groomed for the job. Angelo has three years left on his deal, but the Bears likely would be happy to accept his resignation and go with a less expensive Ruskell. Some things never change in Lake Forest.

I'm no Angelo advocate, but Ruskell could come from the "be careful what you fish for" file. With the Seahawks, Ruskell is remembered most for losing Steve Hutchinson (the best guard in the NFL at that time) to the Vikings in free agency the year after the Seahawks lost to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL.

Both Angelo and Ruskell depicted their association, which goes back to the Bucs, as positive. Angelo said he has always welcomed as much input as possible with the draft, that more voices "stimulate thinking."

I agree, but I was left wondering — whose draft is this, Gentleman Jer's or Ruskell's?

We'll be able to gauge that based on Angelo's facial expressions when he extols the virtues of the next big find from Vanderbilt or one of directional schools in Louisiana next week. He always shows his cards.

Man, is there anything more exciting than hearing, "the Chicago Bears are on the clock?"