Rookie Al Afalava Providing "Safety" Net for Chicago Bear's Cornerbacks

Following the 2008 season, the Chicago Bears elected to part ways with several key players, including receivers Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd and long time free safety and fan favorite Mike Brown. It was for that reason that many had the Bears pegged to select either a receiver or a free safety with their first pick going into the 2009 NFL Draft. The Bears, of course, ignored that logic and selected a defensive lineman with their first selection. In fact, the Bears waited all the way until the middle of the sixth round, pick No 190, before even selecting a safety. And a prototypical strong safety at that, in Oregon State's Al Afalava. Afalava is originally from beautiful Laie, Hawaii and played high school football at powerhouse Kahuku on the north shore of Oahu. He led the Kahuku Red Raiders to a state championship his junior year and led them to the semifinals his senior year. At Oregon St, Afalava took over at strong safety as a true freshman and was immediately pe...