NEWSLETTER
Down the stretch they come. And by “they” I mean the rumors that have us obsessing over what the Chicago Bears are going to do this weekend at the NFL Draft.
Bob LeGere of Pro Football Weekly seems pretty convinced Bears GM Ryan Pace would like to recoup the third-round pick the team sent to San Francisco in last year’s Mitch Trubisky trade. LeGere writes “it’s no secret” regarding the team’s desire to add a third-round pick. How the team will go about doing so will ultimately be decided this weekend.
Chicago is in a prime position to move back in the draft if it really wants to add an extra pick (or two?) in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, the Bears must do so cautiously if it still wants to be able to draft one of the eight players the general manager deemed he would be comfortable taking if they made it to the eighth pick.
It’s possible the Bears could move as low as No. 12 and still feel good about their chances to land of of their preferred first-round prospects. In fact, JJ Stankevitz of NBC Sports Chicago presents the Buffalo Bills as the ideal trading partner for the Bears to do a deal with on Thursday. Conveniently, the Bills own the No. 12 pick in the draft. Buffalo made the playoffs last year, but fell short when Tyrod Taylor and the offense couldn’t get much going against Jacksonville. They have since traded Taylor and their left tackle to move into the No. 12 spot. And if they can’t get their hands on a quarterback, their offseason will ultimately be viewed as a failure.
Buffalo has two first-round picks (Nos. 12, 22) and that could make it worth the Bears’ while if a quarterback falls to No. 8. It would certainly be more valuable than a third-round pick.
Pace has subtly expressed an interest in moving around the draft if the deal is right and has shown a willingness to move up in each of the last two drafts. A good general manager is open to all possibilities, and one where the Bears can land one of their top eight prospects and a possible second first-round choice could be too good to pass up.
