It’s not going to make up for the loss of Bernard Berrian, but it gives the Bears some extra power heading to the draft.
The club was awarded a third-round draft pick and two seventh-round draft picks Monday as compensatory draft picks. That brings to nine the total number of picks the team has.
UPDATED: According to profootballtalk.com, the Bears snagged the third compensatory pick awarded–99th overall and the 35th pick of the third round. The first two compensatory picks went to New England and Cincinnati. The Patriots lost cornerback Asante Samuel and the Bengals lost defensive end Justin Smith.
The Bears’ picks in the seventh round are as follows:
37th pick, 246 overall
42nd pick, 251 overall
It’s the third-round pick that matters, though. That’s in the neighborhood of where general manager Jerry Angelo has gotten players like Alex Brown, Nathan Vasher, Kyle Orton and Todd Johnson.
The third-round pick will occur somewhere between 97th and 100th overall, check back soon for more details on that. Compensatory picks are handed out each year to teams for their net loss in free agency. The Bears lost Berrian, tight end John Gilmore and special teamer Brendon Ayanbadejo as unrestricted free agents a year ago. The team did not sign any UFA’s and thus the windfall of three draft picks.
New England quarterback Tom Brady was once a compensatory pick. Kansas City linebacker Mike Vrabel was a compensatory pick in the third round. Offensive tackle Jonas Jennings was also a third-round compensatory pick.
New England might have done better than anyone. The Patriots picked up a third-, fifth- and sixth-round picks. Check back later for full details. Once all of the picks are known, the league will be able to assemble the entire official draft order.
