Draft experts continue to hint toward the Chicago Bears trading the No. 9 pick in some capacity
The Chicago Bears are less than a month away from kicking off the 2024 NFL Draft and the decision the team makes with the ninth overall pick has arguably become more important than the decision the team makes with the first overall pick. Bears' general manager Ryan Poles has set the Bears up perfectly with the […]
The Chicago Bears are less than a month away from kicking off the 2024 NFL Draft and the decision the team makes with the ninth overall pick has arguably become more important than the decision the team makes with the first overall pick.
Bears' general manager Ryan Poles has set the Bears up perfectly with the ninth overall pick to play the board any way he wants while also being able to come away with quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick of the draft.
Depending on how the board shakes out, the Bears are prime to come away with a big-chip prospect of some sort, if Poles is willing to stay put and not make things interesting.
However, with each passing day, the Bears are being theorized to trade the ninth overall pick, whether they move down or even up the board. Both sides are incredibly enticing to consider with less than two weeks remaining until the draft begins.
The Bears are currently only slated to have four picks in the draft, however Poles himself has admitted that he feels comfortable with that situation. But who's to say he doesn’t make a move before or during opening night?
"I feel pretty comfortable about it," Poles said regarding only having four selections in this year's draft. "It'll be boring if we don't do any trades, but I feel pretty good about where we're at."
One trade the Bears' front office could explore making is moving back from the ninth overall pick to acquire more draft capital after the first round by allowing another team to move up into the Top-10.
This exact possibility was brought up in ESPN's latest article this week featuring the latest draft news for all 32 teams. Here's what the article had to say:
"I'd be shocked if they make that pick at nine," an NFC area scout told ESPN. "Poles loves to move around and build through the draft, and that roster still needs help in some spots." Don't be surprised if Chicago moves back, adds more draft capital and takes the best defensive end available wherever it lands. Laiatu Latu (UCLA) and Jared Verse (Florida State) are two options who would help off the edge in Chicago. – via ESPN
Plenty of teams in the mid-late teens would be willing to trade up with the Bears depending on how the first eight selections would go, which would still allow the Bears to add a top prospect at a position of need even after moving back.
The thought of adding potentially a second round pick in this year's draft once again would also be a hard thing to turn down if the Bears get a strong offer.
As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune laid out earlier this week, "based on reports that the Bears hosted Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, West Virginia center Zach Frazier and Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson at Halas Hall for top-30 visits, adding a second-round pick is a possibility they're preparing for."
ESPN's Field Yates also revealed that the Bears are frequently mentioned as a team who could be willing to let another team move up the board into the Top-10.
The other option the Bears could pursue looking into is moving up from the ninth overall pick to secure one of the top three wide receivers in the draft if the front office is worried that one of them won't be available with the ninth overall pick.
This potential trade was actually recently explored by The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner in his latest mock draft where he had the Bears trading up for LSU's Malik Nabers.
It’s certainly possible Chicago can wait at No. 9 and still get one of these receivers for Williams. But it’s also possible the Bears will feel like they have to move up. Nabers, Harrison or Rome Odunze might be way too tempting to pass on in this situation. – The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner
While the Bears are lacking in draft capital for this year's draft, the team has plenty of selections next year the front office could package to move up, including the Carolina Panthers' 2025 second round pick. Using the Rich Hill trade chart, that paired with the ninth overall pick, could easily be used to move up to at-most the fifth overall pick.
While this is still purely speculation, things are seeming to heat up surrounding the Bears' second pick in the draft but it completely depends on how the front office feels about their prospect evaluations and the trade packages that would need to occur to move on from the pick. Personally, I think a move will end up happening.
Five elite prospects the Chicago Bears could consider taking with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft
Who will the team come away with?
