Bears Blitz

Published by Michael Gibbons on April 9, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Vikings‘ general manager Rick Spielman told Pro Football Weekly that the No. 3 pick in the draft is on the market.

There are times we have been in (the war room) and we’ve done deals on the clock, it’s an unknown, but you’re prepared for both ways. We’ll be ready and we’ll have a good idea of what we think the value of that third pick is. 

If we want to get out of that pick, we’ll [determine] what it will take to get out of that pick, plus you have to be careful of how far you would want to go back (down in the draft). You have to know what you’re looking at, depending on how far you go back. Are you getting yourself out of the (range of) the supposedly blue-chip type of players?

With quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III expected to go first and second, the third pick is where things might get interesting.

With the Bears biggest need being at left tackle, maybe they should trade up and consider drafting Matt Kalil.

Kalil is the top-rated left tackle out of USC. At 6’6″ and 305 lbs, he absolutely has the body for it and comes from a football family. His dad was an offensive lineman in the USFL, and his brother Ryan is one of the top centers in the league for Carolina.

So what would it take for them to move that far up in the draft?

I would assume it would be much less than the ransom the St. Louis Rams got for the No. 2 pick this year. The Washington Redskins gave up three first-round picks and a second round pick this year to move up four spots.

Last season the Atlanta Falcons traded up 21 spots to draft Julio Jones sixth overall. In that trade the Cleveland Browns got two first-round picks, a second-round pick and two fourth-round picks.

With the Bears owning the 19th pick, they would not be asking Minnesota to move down as far as the Browns did last season. Therefore maybe they could get away with giving a little bit less.

For the first time in years, the Bears have a full complement of draft picks, so general manager Phil Emery has the ammo to deal.

Would this year’s first and third round picks plus next year’s first be enough to get the job done?

It might be. It’s just a question if the Vikes are comfortable moving that far down or would they like to stay in the top 10?

So would they even be willing to deal with a division rival?

Drafting Kalil would solidify what has been a very shaky offensive line for the Bears. Kalil and Gabe Carimi could be the bookend tackle they have been looking for since they had Fred Miller and John Tait. It would also give decent depth, allowing J’Marcus Webb to backup at both spots.

If Emery somehow pulls off a trade to draft Kalil after already trading for wide receiver Brandon Marshall, he would become a living legend in Chicago.

It might be a long shot but I don’t think it could hurt if Emery gave Spielman a call to test the water. What do you think?

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