Leonard Floyd to Bears: Trade Details, Twitter Reaction in 2016 NFL Draft
Published by Danny Webster on April 28, 2016
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears moved up two spots to the No. 9 overall pick and drafted Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker Leonard Floyd in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday. Chicago sent the 11th overall pick and a fourth-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Heading into Year 2 of head coach John Fox’s tenure, Chicago looked to strengthen its defense with the selection of Floyd, who CBS Sports ranked as the No. 18 prospect on its big board. Floyd was also the No. 3 outside linebacker behind Myles Jack and Darron Lee.
The Bears have finished below .500 in consecutive years for the first time since 2002-04, but they feel the selection of Floyd can help them get back on track.
The team took to Twitter after making the pick official:
Here’s the best of the rest from the Twitter world:
This was a huge win for the Bears. To swap first-round picks with Tampa Bay, they had to give up only a fourth-rounder. And NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noted the New York Giants, who sat one pick ahead of the Bears before the trade, may have had their eyes on the edge-rusher as well:
At 6’6″ and 244 pounds, Floyd is a big, strong and athletic pass-rusher who can be a game-changing presence for Fox’s defense.
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