The Chicago Bears have earned a reputation under the leadership of general manager Ryan Poles as a team ready and willing to wheel and deal with their high-value draft picks. Last year, of course, they cut a pre-draft deal with the Carolina Panthers, giving up their overall no. 1 pick for elite-level wide receiver DJ Moore and a wealth of draft picks that resulted in Darnell Wright and Tyrique Stevenson coming to the team, a first-round pick this year (which ended up being another overall no. 1), and a second round pick in 2025.
So, would they do something similar this year? All signs point to yes…and no.
Chicago Bears First Round Trade Options
No, because most everyone believes Chicago will select USC blue chip quarterback prospect Caleb Williams with the first pick in the draft this April.
But the team DOES have a second first-round pick– their own pick, coming in at no. 9.
That’s where some believe Poles might produce some back room razzle dazzle.
Adam Jahns of The Athletic cooked up a possible scenario in a recent mock draft where the Bears would cut a deal with the Denver Broncos, who are hoping to have a shot at grabbing J.J. McCarthy of Michigan with an earlier draft pick, that would see them swap their no. 9 for the Broncos’ no. 12.
Broncos Insider for The Athletic, Nick Kosmider, feels that to move up those three spots, the team would have to give up something substantial. He sees the Bears’ no. 9 pick going for the Broncos no. 12, their third round pick (no. 76), and a fourth-rounder in 2025. This would give Chicago back-to-back picks in the third round this year.
With their new no. 12 first-round pick, Jahns sees the Bears drafting defensive end Jared Verse of Florida State and pairing him with veteran Montez Sweat as a veteran-rookie one-two punch on defense.
In a different mock draft, the Bears also trade away their no. 9 pick in the first round, this time to the Las Vegas Raiders.
In a scheme laid out by Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago, Chicago trades their no. 9 spot for the Raiders’ no. 13, plus their second-round pick (no. 44).
With their newly acquired picks, the Bears draft tight end Brock Bowers from Georgia with the Raiders’ no. 13 and defensive end Bralen Trice from Washington with the Raiders’ second-round pick.
Both proposed deals would be beneficial to Chicago’s goal of rebuilding themselves into a team of long-term and sustainable success. They also fit in nicely with the organization’s apparent attraction to stockpiling draft picks as a form of talent building.
And speaking of stockpiling draft picks…
Trading Justin Fields Adds Even More Draft Capital
It looks like quarterback Justin Fields will be traded in the immediate future and that means even more draft picks to be added to the Bears’ wealth of draft capital. Most experts believe that the talented but inconsistent Fields would bring in a second-round pick and, possibly, a fourth-rounder. However, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN First Draft feels that Chicago could get a first-round pick, possibly from the Atlanta Falcons, for Fields.
The consensus belief, though, is that the Bears will pick Caleb Williams with the draft’s top spot.
“It’s difficult to see the Bears and general manager Ryan Poles passing on a quarterback with the first pick two years in a row,” Jahns wrote. “In Williams, the Bears get a QB with rare gifts. They also get to reset their books and project more for the future with a rookie quarterback under contract.”
And with the talented young players acquired in pre-draft trades behind Williams, the team would be able to build a sound support structure around their new quarterback.