Hey, Bears fans. We heard y’all liked mock drafts, and y’all really liked first-round trades. So we looked around and found you a new mock draft for you from NFL.com that features not one, not two, but THREE first-round trades for GM Ryan Poles. Best part, the Bears still land one of the top defensive prospects after all the wheeling and dealing.
Things start with the Bears trading the No. 1 pick to the Texans in exchange for the No. 2 pick, plus two picks from the DeShaun Watson trade: a 2023 third-rounder and a 2024 first-rounder. The Texans use that pick to select Bryce Young.
From there, Poles gets right back on the phone and flips the No. 2 pick to the Colts in exchange for No. 4, a second-round pick, plus a 2024 second-rounder and a 2024 third-rounder. The Colts select C.J. Stroud at No. 2.
Directly afterwards, the Cardinals pick Georgia DT Jalen Carter and then the Bears are on the clock, again. This time Poles stays put and selects Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson.
If it works out, it would be an absolute power play for the Bears. Anderson would make an instant impact on the Bears defensive line, which struggled to generate pressure all season. The Bears ranked dead last with only 20 sacks last year, and nearly half of that production came from the second and third levels of the defense. The DL only generated 10.5 sacks total, with Justin Jones and Trevis Gipson tied with three apiece. Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker led the team with four. Anderson wouldn’t be a cure all for the line, but his 27.5 sacks over the past two years will bring a big boost. Of course, it’s far from a sure thing that Poles would be able to pull off two trades like this.
“Taking the Texans' offer could be risky for the Bears if the Colts stay at No. 4 after being beaten out for the top spotー but doing ‘whatever it takes’ means (Colts GM Chris) Ballard is incentivized to climb the draft ladder,” wrote Chad Reuter in the NFL.com mock draft, referring to Ballard’s earlier comments that he would move heaven and earth to put himself in position to draft the Colts QB of the future. “Opening Door No. 1 and Door No. 2 in the trade game allows Chicago GM Ryan Poles to hedge his bets in the hopes that at least one of the two partners send over very early picks after a disappointing 2023 campaign.”
But Poles isn’t done just yet. Reuter mocks the Bears trading back into the first round to select SMU WR Rashee Rice.
NFL
“After accumulating multiple selections in the two earlier trades, the Bears are fine sending the Colts' second-round pick (No. 35) and their own fourth-rounder to the Chiefs to move up for their choice of receiver,” wrote Reuter. “Rice was the main cog in the Mustangs' offense in 2022, a target on quick screens, hitches and nine routes, where he used his strider's speed, ability to win 50-50 balls and tracking skills to score.”
So there you have it. Plenty of trades, two impact players, one on offense, one on defense. Seems like a pretty good day for the Bears. We’ll see if they can take a dream like this and turn it into a reality.