Ever since Major Wright was the second-ranked high school safety in the country at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Morgan Burnett was the seventh-ranked safety while playing for North Clayton in College Park, Ga., they have been jockeying for position.

At the time, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Miami, among others, were recruiting Wright. Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia Tech were after Burnett. And Florida recruited both players Wright as its first choice and Burnett as its second.

Wright chose Florida, and Burnett went to Georgia Tech.

Three years later, Burnett widely was considered the fifth-best safety prospect in the NFL draft, while Wright was considered the sixth.

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The Bears' desire for a free safety in the third round was plainly evident. The Packers did not need a safety but thought Burnett had the traits to fit perfectly with their defense and develop into an outstanding pro.

So they packaged their third-round pick (86th overall) with their fourth-round pick in a trade with the Eagles for the 71st pick four selections ahead of the Bears to take Burnett. If the deal hadn't been done, it's very likely Burnett would be a Bear instead of Wright.

"We had Burnett ranked really high, and we talked about it in the second round," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "When we got further down, we talked about the other teams needing safeties.

"It's like playing cards. There are teams you think will take safeties, and if you look back on it, they did. I definitely don't think he would have been there where we were picking in the third round."

Not only would Burnett not have been there, but the Packers probably would have been playing against him twice a year.

"Yeah, no doubt," McCarthy said.

Now Wright and Burnett will continue jockeying for position as promising prospects in the NFC North. The race they were running was a marathon, not a sprint. And while it's not certain Burnett will remain in the lead, many scouts believe he has more potential.

Five teams the Tribune contacted all rated Burnett higher than Wright. One had Burnett rated as a second-round pick and Wright a fifth-rounder, but most had them much closer.

The Bears are not unhappy they wound up with Wright. Had they thought Burnett was significantly better, they would have attempted a trade up to the top of the third round.

"Burnett is more of a ball guy," Bears defensive backs coach Jon Hoke said. "He had more interceptions. But he's not nearly as physical as Major. He's not as sudden in movement or change of directions. I was fine with either of them. Both would have fit for what we want just fine."

Hoke will get his first look at Wright and the other Bears rookies Friday in a rookie camp at Halas Hall that is closed to the public.

In their 90-year history, the Bears never have had a safety quite like Wright. Area scout Jeff Shiver, who has been part of the Bears' personnel team for 23 years longer than anyone said the Bears safety closest to Wright in terms of a skill set was Dave Duerson. But Wright is faster than Duerson was.

Wright doesn't play with the kind of kamikaze mindset Doug Plank did. He's more athletic than Gary Fencik was but not as consistent or instinctive. He's a more natural center fielder than Shaun Gayle was, but he drives on the ball the same way.

He's not as explosive a hitter as Mark Carrier or Todd Bell were or the thumper Tony Parrish was, but he is a solid tackler who hits hard. He won't make as many tackles in the running game as Marty Carter did. He moves better than Mike Brown but isn't as opportunistic. He has some of Brown's leadership and competitive qualities.

With a 40-yard dash of 4.44 seconds, Wright might be the fastest safety in Bears history. Danieal Manning was timed at 4.46 before the Bears took him in the second round of the 2006 draft. The hope is Wright is more instinctive in coverage than Manning.

Wright represents a new breed of safety in the NFL a player who can run with receivers while still being able to pound with the big boys.

"He's a very athletic guy, that's for sure," Hoke said. "And when he hits, he's a heavy hitter now."

As long as he hits harder than Burnett, Wright can be a favorite of Bears fans.

When it came to what has been the boogeyman position on defense for the Chicago Bears, were they outsmarted by their rivials?

The Green Bay Packers, who have one of the best safeties in the NFC in Nick Collins, didnt have an overwhelming need for another one in the draft but as Georgia Techs Morgan Burnett made his way into the third round, the opportunity to select him became too overwhelming to pass.

So as Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune details, the Packers traded their third-round pick (No. 86) and a fourth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles to jump to No. 71 near the top of the third round and draft Burnett four slots before the Bears were going to select. Did the Packers steal the man the Bears had their eyes on? Chicago, when its turn came, chose Florida safety Major Wright.

"We had Burnett ranked really high, and we talked about it in the second round," Packers coach Mike McCarthy told Pompei. "When we got further down, we talked about the other teams needing safeties.

"It's like playing cards. There are teams you think will take safeties, and if you look back on it, they did. I definitely don't think he would have been there where we were picking in the third round."


Part of the thinking in Green Bay was if they didnt draft Burnett to pair with Collins, they would likely see him twice a season wearing a Bears uniform. Pompei reports that he contacted five NFL teams and all had Burnett ranked ahead of Wright, although on most boards they were close.

"Burnett is more of a ball guy," Bears defensive backs coach Jon Hoke said. "He had more interceptions. But he's not nearly as physical as Major. He's not as sudden in movement or change of directions. I was fine with either of them. Both would have fit for what we want just fine."

A ball guy is what most believed the Bears needed, a center fielder with coverage skills. But Chicago general manager Jerry Angelo has traded up in a draft just one time in nine years, and the Bears, as usual, were locked into that spot at No. 75 waiting to see what fell their way. Wright takes the field during rookie minicamp starting this afternoon. The Bears are thrilled with his addition and he figures to start at free safety this season if he develops like previous young safeties have for them. But Wright and Burnett will forever be linked as long as they are playing for rival teams.