The most recent draft-related chatter regarding the Bears has the team exploring opportunities to trade back and recoup a pick that was dealt away nearly a year ago in the deal that brought Mitch Trubisky to Chicago. But at least one of the draft’s top prospects thinks the Bears are in a position to move up in order to take him.
Anyone interested in the Bears moving up in the draft for the third straight season? Because that’s what it would take for the team to land North Carolina State pass rusher Bradley Chubb: “You never know what’s going to happen in the draft,” Chubb said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I might fall down there, they can trade up. You just never know. I’m glad I got the opportunity to go out there and talk to them and show them who I am as a person.”
Odds are Chubb isn’t going to fall to the Bears at No. 8, but his words provide the slightest glimmer of hope that the Bears could slide up and take him. Make no mistake, Chubb is one of the handful of talents worth trading up for in this draft class. It’s just that the Bears might not have the trade chips to make it happen, in part, because they don’t have a third-round pick in this draft.
With that in mind, there is a belief the Bears are more likely to trade down than move up. ESPN’s Todd McShay lists the Bears, Broncos, and Colts among the three teams most likely to trade back in the first round. Depending who is available at No. 8, trading down might not be a popular option among fans. But then again, there are a number of folks who seem to be on board with the idea of adding picks and taking some additional spins at the proverbial wheel to add depth to a roster that desperately needs it.
Still, I can’t rule out the possibility of moving up. Especially knowing what we know about GM Ryan Pace’s risk calculus.
Pace would have to get creative in order to make things work with a team picking ahead of them, but we have seen Pace do some unexpected things. That Pace has been creative enough to move up in the first round (and back in the second) in each of the last two years says something about his creativity, aggressiveness, conviction, and gumption when it comes to deal-making.
Does the Bears’ general manager have another surprise up his sleeve? Stay tuned.
