NEWSLETTER
Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft with two picks in the top-50 sure sounds promising, but things aren’t always as they seem. The Bears, of course, have no picks in the first round of the 2020 draft, and then, after their two second rounders, have no picks again until the fifth round (No. 163 overall). That’s less than ideal, particularly for a for a team pressed against the cap, with various holes to fill on the roster, heading into a season during which they’re expected to be competitive.
And with that being said, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprise to learn that the Bears might try to get some additional draft capital by moving one of its most valuable picks. While piecing together an updated mock draft, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes: “The Bears are expected to seek a trade down with at least one of their second-round picks to add depth to their class.”
The Bears have the 43rd and 50th overall selections in the 2020 NFL Draft. Again, this is good. Chicago could easily pluck a pair of plug-and-play prospects from the get-go with those slots, then call it a day until going on the clock again in Round 5. But when the Lions, Vikings, and Packers each have at least four picks between the Bears’ second second-round selection and their fifth-round choice, alarms are sound. Quantity – in this draft class especially – could be just as valuable as quality.
So with that in mind, the Bears should be leaving no stone unturned in search for trade partners to move back from either (or both) second-round picks. And, indeed, the good news here is that this should be old hat for GM Ryan Pace.
In 2016, Pace traded second-round picks twice. The first was a deal that sent the 41st overall pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for the 49th and 117th selections in that draft, as well as a 2017 fourth-round pick. Pace then moved 49th overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks for the 56th and 124th overall picks in the draft. A year later, Chicago moved the No. 36 pick in a deal with the Arizona Cardinals that netted the team the 45th, 119th, and 197th picks, as well as a fourth-round choice in 2018.
To summarize, Pace turned his team’s two second-round picks in 2016 and 2017 into eight picks over three-year span. That’s some decent wheeling and dealing!
Moving back seven spots and adding a fourth-rounder was a solid move for the Bears, who used the trade to select center Cody Whitehair and safety Deon Bush. Whitehair grew into a Pro Bowl caliber center whose play was deemed worthy of a contract extension with the team before the start of the 2019 season. Bush has been a core special teams contributor, spot starter, and rotational safety. Not bad for a fourth-rounder.
To be clear, it takes two to tango. The Bears will need to find a trade partner (or possibly, partners) in order to turn a dearth of draft picks into a relative abundance. But it can be done.
