Draft expert has the Chicago Bears getting forced into a trade that has nothing to do with Justin Fields
The Chicago Bears have been the talk of the offseason for a second straight year and that's not going to change until something significant happens with Justin Fields.And while every scenario has been run through, by now, it's almost like everyone has forgotten the Bears have their own first-rounder, the ninth overall pick, in their […]
The Chicago Bears have been the talk of the offseason for a second straight year and that's not going to change until something significant happens with Justin Fields.
And while every scenario has been run through, by now, it's almost like everyone has forgotten the Bears have their own first-rounder, the ninth overall pick, in their 2024 draft arsenal, as well.
The No. 1 pick is obviously worth its weight in gold, but there's plenty of value to be had at No. 9, as well. Naturally, the overwhelming majority of conversation pertaining to a draft trade centers around the first overall selection and trading down, but what about trading up from No. 9?
The Athletic's Dane Brugler thinks there's certainly a world in which the Bears won't just trade up from No. 9 – they must to do it in order to avoid falling victim an unprecedented receiver run in the first picks of the draft.
5. Chicago Bears (from LAC)*: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Projected trade: Bears send No. 9, No. 75 and a 2025 fourth-rounder to the Chargers for No. 5
All right, now we’re cooking. The Chargers want to move back and add more picks as Jim Harbaugh rebuilds the roster to fit his vision.
For the Bears, fortune favors the bold. None of the top three receivers are falling to No. 9, and this is a relatively low price to pay for an impact pass catcher who will help win games from Day 1. Only GM Ryan Poles knows which receiver he would prefer in this scenario, but a popular theory to emerge from combine buzz was that a Bears-Odunze pairing might be the best fit in the draft. – Dane Brugler, The Athletic
The overall logic is there, but this wouldn't be a good move for the Bears
Yes, the Bears have two picks in the top-10, but they don't have a second-rounder due to last year's trade for Montez Sweat. If the Bears trade away the 75th overall pick, then that means they likely wouldn't pick until No. 110, which would be 105 picks later in this scenario (I say likely because the NFL hasn't released official compensatory picks, yet, so that number could change since it's in the fourth round).
Chicago's roster is eons better than what it was at this point last year, but the team still has needs at premium positions and Ryan Poles isn't the type of GM that spends money just because he has it. Sure, there will be plenty of avenues to shore things up in free agency, but he's going to be responsible, as well. There's no guarantee the Bears find an immediate fix to their problems in free agency.
There's also the fact that this WR class is extremely deep. The Bears may miss out on a chance to grab one of the top-3 guys by staying at No. 9, evidenced by the fact Brugler has Brian Thomas Jr. going off the board at No. 15 and then three more wideouts going in the first round.
Don't count out Brock Bowers at No. 9, either. The Bears have a traditional inline tight end in Cole Kmet, which would allow Shane Waldron to use Bowers as the mismatch he is, more than a traditional Y. And we all know how much Waldron loves to use multiple tight end sets, as well.
Overall, it's a move that's logical, but it isn't the best choice when surveying the full context of the Bears' draft.
