Conventional wisdom would suggest the Chicago Bears use their draft pick capital to trade down tonight/this weekend.
But not only does conventional wisdom rarely seem to apply to the Bears, GM Ryan Pace also has a knack for trading up when given the opportunity to secure his preferred prospect. With that in mind, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport hears the Bears are among the teams making phone calls regarding a possible move up the draft board.
Here’s his scoop:
A couple more teams to keep an eye on: The #Bears and #Giants have made calls about a potential trade-up quickly on tonight. We’ll see what transpires, but a good opportunity for action early. https://t.co/ygA2GHDbq6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 24, 2020
For what it’s worth, Rapoport mentions the Bengals, Colts (34th), and Dolphins (39th) as teams that seem willing to trade back. So perhaps there is a partner there if the Bears choose to trade up and land their preferred prospect.
There is no shortage of players I can imagine the Bears trying to move up to get, headlined by a handful of secondary players who many projected to land in the first down. Safeties Xavier McKinney (Alabama), Grant Delpit (LSU), and Antoine Winfield Jr. (Minnesota) come to mind. As do cornerbacks Trevon Diggs (Alabama) and Kristian Fulton (LSU). The same could be said about receivers Denzel Mims (Baylor) or Tee Higgins (Clemson).
Stay tuned, Bears fans. The draft could start heating up from the get-go,