After failing to land Patrick Chung or Mike Mitchell before trading their pick on day one, the Bears finally addressed the safety position in the 6th round, selecting Oregon State's Al Afalava. Afalava is known as a big hitter and a better fit playing in the box, but might have a future playing free safety.
"We think he has the skill set to play free, he's a great athlete," said Bears college scouting director Greg Gabriel. "But based on his workout, the hands and range that he showed, we'll probably start him off at the strong (safety)."
Afalava's reputation as a solid tackler, coupled with decent coverage skills, makes this a nice late-round selection.
However, this pick also carries with it more off-the field baggage. Afalava was suspended for one game in 2008 after crashing his car into an empty bus shelter and then leaving the scene on foot.
"He's gone through the court system," said Gabriel. "We checked into everything, did our research, everything came back good. We are very comfortable with the situation."