Thomas Jones Trade: What Direction Does The Team Go Now?

After hearing the shocking news last night, I slept on it and here are my final thoughts considering that it appears that the reports were accurate:

If you are trying to figure out the Thomas Jones trade, it's pretty simple. The Bears moved up 26 spots in the second round, getting a Jets pick at No. 37. That's a prime position to get a borderline rookie starter or a quality prospect. Why would the Bears have to give up a second-round pick and Jones to get a second-round pick? The answer is simple. The market for veteran running backs at this moment is at best a third-round pick. The Bears wanted to get a second-round pick alone but they couldn't. If you look at the draft value charts, the Bears gave up 280 points. That's the equivalent of one of the final choices of the second round or a top choice in the third round. In other words, they got the best value possible for a 30-year-old running back. Combine those facts with Angelo being forced by Jones' agent to accomadate his client's trade demands and Angelo really had no choice but to get the best deal possible, which, by the way, is what I demanded for in my last post. So there's nothing really to complain about with this trade. Angelo had to get rid of an unhappy player. He got the most he could for Jones considering the sate of the market for RBs. It's a shame that it feels like the Bears should of got more for Jones but take comfort in that Angelo squeezed the Jets for as much as he could. Therefore, I humbly retract some of the negative comments I made in the last post. Believe it or not, Angelo made good on this one.

That said, from what I hear the Bears are looking to package the 31st and 37th pick to move into the top 10 of the first round so stay tuned. If they were to do this, obvious targets would be Wisconsin OL Joe Thomas, LSU Safety LaRon Landry and Michigan DT Alan Branch (all three are pictured above). Here are the scouting reports on all three:

Thomas - He possesses an ideal combination of size, athleticism and upper-body power, which is why he projects as a future perennial starter at left tackle in the NFL. Thomas ranks as one of the elite prospects in the 2007 class and he should be off the board within the top-five overall selections.

Landry - He is as close to the complete package as it gets for a safety prospect coming from the collegiate ranks. He projects as an immediate starter at free safety in the NFL; he can hold up in the box, in deep-middle zone coverage and one-on-one versus a slot receiver. Landry is the top safety in the 2007 class and he should come off the board in the first-half of the first round.

Branch - He is an all-around gifted defensive tackle prospect with an outstanding combination of size, power and quickness. He has experienced playing end in a 3-4, the three-technique in a 4-3, and nose tackle in both alignments. Branch is the most complete all-around interior defensive lineman in the 2007 class and he should be a top-10 pick.