San Diego traded four selections to Chicago to move from No.…
San Diego traded four selections to Chicago to move from No. 62 to No. 37 in the 2007 draft for safety Eric Weddle. Weddle became a six-time Pro Bowler, earned multiple All-Pro honors and started 122 games for the Chargers. Chicago used the package on Dan Bazuin, Garrett Wolfe, Kevin Payne and Marcus Harrison, but none developed into a comparable long-term starter. The Chargers won emphatically.
Chicago Bears Received
- pick 2007 2nd round pick (62nd overall, Dan Bazuin), 2007 3rd round pick (93rd overall, Garrett Wolfe), 2007 5th round pick (167th overall, Kevin Payne) and 2008 3rd round pick (90th overall, Marcus Harrison)
Los Angeles Chargers Received
- pick 2007 2nd round pick (37th overall, Eric Weddle )
Trade Analysis
San Diego targeted Utah safety Eric Weddle early in the second round of the 2007 draft and paid heavily to get him. The Chargers moved from No. 62 to No. 37, sending Chicago additional selections at Nos. 93 and 167 plus a third-round pick in 2008. The Bears therefore received four draft choices for one, a package that should have created a strong mathematical advantage.
Weddle erased that advantage through elite play. He became a starter during his second season and developed into one of the NFL's best safeties. During nine years with the Chargers he started 122 regular-season games, intercepted 19 passes and earned three Pro Bowl selections with the club, along with multiple All-Pro honors. His career continued at a high level after leaving San Diego, reinforcing that the Chargers correctly identified a premium player worth pursuing.
Chicago's four selections produced far less. Defensive end Dan Bazuin, the original second-round target, never appeared in a regular-season game for the Bears. Running back Garrett Wolfe contributed mainly on special teams. Safety Kevin Payne started 22 games over three seasons and was the most productive member of the group, while defensive tackle Marcus Harrison started nine games in three Chicago seasons. The Bears found some depth, but no enduring building block.
Trading down for volume is only advantageous when the selections collectively beat the player surrendered. Chicago had four chances and still could not approach Weddle's career. San Diego earns an A+ for identifying and acquiring an elite safety who became a long-term franchise cornerstone. Chicago receives an F because a large package of picks failed to produce even one comparable starter, and the second-round selection itself yielded nothing. The Chargers win by an enormous margin.