NEWSLETTER
The 2024 NFL Draft is THIS WEEK.
And you can expect the Chicago Bears to carry main character energy throughout the week. Armed with the No. 1 overall pick and a second top-10 selection, Chicago’s football team will be at the center of so many pre-draft conversations that take place between now and Thursday. Moreover, you can expect the Bears to be a team that comes up in conversation a bunch in trade chatter.
Trading back from the No. 9 spot is an intriguing proposition. Depending on how far back you move, this team could conceivably get a prospect who is a top-10 talent plus additional draft capital in a draft-day pick swap. As much as I’d love to get a blue-chip prospect with the ninth pick, if that player isn’t there for the Bears, then they should look to move down. With that being said, I have an interest in seeing Chicago move up in the NFL Draft.
Fortune favors the bold. And this would certainly fit the definition. For what it’s worth, there are some prospects at the top of this draft who I’d be willing to green-light a trade that sends future draft picks to another team to make that happen. At the top of my list is Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who most certainly won’t be available when the Bears go on the clock with the No. 9 pick.
MORE: Marvin Harrison Jr. has met with the Chicago Bears
But I know they’ll need a willing partner to make something like that happen.
Ben Volin (Boston Globe) offers up a scenario in which the New England Patriots are a team that looks to trade down out of the No. 3 spot. Volin also provides the Bears as a team that could trade up in the draft to satisfy New England’s possible desire to rack up picks and kick the can on the quarterback decision down the road for another year. NFL Draft weekend makes strange bedfellows every now and again. With that being said, this is what Volin had in mind:
The Bears are already drafting Williams at No. 1, and what better way to create excitement than to get the best quarterback and the best receiver in one draft? The Bears don’t have a second-round pick, but I wonder if No. 9, No. 75, and multiple picks next year (maybe a first and a third?) would be enough for the Patriots to make the swap. I think the Patriots would be much more comfortable taking McCarthy at No. 9, while adding extra draft capital, than they would Maye or McCarthy at No. 3.
There isn’t a firm proposal from Volin, but I think I can piece something together.
Should the Bears trade up in the NFL Draft to take Marvin Harrison Jr.?
If Bears General Manager Ryan Poles take a swing and trade up is the question at the heart of this post. And if the answer is yes, then who are you targeting in a trade-up? This is the type of trade offer that would make me gather my top cohorts and have a session on if the juice is worth the squeeze. I don’t imagine it would be a quickie, so I’d probably order a pizza or made sure we had snacks available.
I know there are Bears fans who would do unmentionable things to have a first-round haul of USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison. This has been a dream scenario we’ve been discussing since January. Plus, the idea of trading up for MHJ came up last week as we found ourselves identifying potential trade-up fits for Poles and the Bears.
And here’s the proposal:
Is it too much? Not enough? Sending a 2025 first-rounder would be too rich for my liking. But I am so confident in my skills as an orator that I believe I can convince that Patriots that Carolina’s second-rounder in 2025 will be as good as having a late first-round pick. Otherwise, I think I can stomach sending multiple secondary 2025 picks to get arguably the most talented non-QB in this draft class on the Bears in 2024 (and beyond).
For my money, I’d say climbing up the draft board to take Marvin Harrison Jr. would be worth it to the Bears. Some might pitch you on Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt. Others might offer up Washington receiver Rome Odunze or LSU wideout Malik Nabers as suitable alternatives. So it’s not as if a trade-up isn’t without its merits. It is a plausible idea that could look great if everything falls into place.
For more from Ben Volin and the Boston Globe, check this out:
