LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Not having picks in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft Saturday didn’t prevent the Bears from bolstering their roster with some of the nation’s top prospects a day later.

San Jose State defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert was named WAC co-defensive player of the year in 2008 after leading the nation with 22 tackles-for-loss.

On an eventful and productive second day of the draft, general manager Jerry Angelo and his crew selected nine promising young players in Rounds 3-7 Sunday. 

The group generally consists of excellent athletes with special traits who enjoyed productive college careers.

“This was a very good second day,” Angelo said. “We feel very, very good about this group, and I’m not saying it because we picked them. If I didn’t feel it, I would say nothing. But I feel very strongly about this group.”

The Bears addressed their defensive line with two of their first three picks Sunday, choosing San Jose State tackle/end Jarron Gilbert in the third round (68th overall) and Texas end Henry Melton in the fourth round (105th).

“We really wanted to infuse our defense with some young talent,” Angelo said. “That was really one of the goals of this draft. We just feel like we need to get some energy in there. Obviously when you talk defense, you talk defensive line with us.”

Sandwiched in between Gilbert and Melton, the Bears selected Oklahoma receiver Juaquin Iglesias in the third round (99th), and followed by taking two more wideouts, Abilene Christian’s speedy Johnny Knox in the fifth round (140th) and Pittsburgh’s Derek Kinder in the seventh round (251st).

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“Receiver-wise, we knew that was a position we needed to add some players, and we did,” said coach Lovie Smith. “From Iglesias, with what he brings as a good steady receiver, to the speed of Johnny Knox and the combination we got with Kinder, I feel good about them.”

The Bears also bolstered their secondary with versatile Vanderbilt cornerback D.J. Moore in the fourth round (119th) and Oregon State safety Al Afalava in the sixth round (190th).

Other picks included Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman in the fifth round (154th) and San Diego State tight end Lance Louis, a converted offensive lineman, in the seventh round (246th).

“These are highly competitive kids,” Angelo said. “They’re good kids, they’re bright kids. We’re really happy with them. They all bring something to the table at their positions that will allow them to compete.”

Bears third-round pick Juaquin Iglesias catches a pass during a drill at the NFL Combine in February.

Angelo estimated that six of the nine draft picks will earn a spot on the Bears’ 53-man roster.

“I feel every one of them has the ability to make it,” he said. “Obviously, the competition’s going to be a little bit keener at some positions. But I don’t think that would be unrealistic with this group.”

The Bears traded out of the second round Saturday when a handful of prospects they had targeted at No. 49 were no longer on the board. It was an entirely different story Sunday as they landed players on their “hot list” in Gilbert and Iglesias with their first two picks.

“We didn’t have any luck yesterday and we weren’t going to force something,” Angelo said. “But we had some luck today, and you have to have a little luck. 

"Irrelevant of how hard you work at it and whatever you think, you still need a little luck on draft day. We got some luck today and I feel that we’re going to benefit from that as early as this year with some of these players.”

The majority of the Bears’ draft picks are elite athletes. That includes Gilbert, who became an Internet sensation when he was videotaped leaping out of a swimming pool.

“I don’t know about jumping out of the pool; the good thing is he didn’t drown,” Angelo joked. “We have some pretty good athletes here in this class and we know that for them to come in and do what I said earlier—compete and bring some youthful talent and energy—they’ve got to be pretty good athletes. We’ve still got a pretty good crew.

“We did preface athleticism with this class. You hear me talk about the ceiling and the floor, well, we were looking at the ceiling a lot with the players because we’re trying to get players to compete with the top end of the roster.”

Despite the fact that the Bears didn’t have picks in the first two rounds, Angelo expects some of the draftees to battle for playing time as rookies.

“We see these guys coming in and competing because of their play history,” Angelo said. “Except for Melton (a converted running back who played one season as a defensive end at Texas); he’s the only one that really had abbreviated play history. [The rest of] these guys have all played an extensive amount of snaps and games. 

"We’re bringing these players in here to compete.”