Chicago Bears: How Ryan Pace Can Regain Their Lost 2017 NFL Draft Picks
The Chicago Bears traded away several picks yesterday to select Mitch Trubisky in the 2017 NFL Draft. What’s their plan to get some of them back?
If you’re anything like me, your jaw hit the floor the moment the Chicago Bears traded up a spot to select Mitchell Trubisky in the 2017 NFL Draft. And then immediately, we all probably thought: “Ryan Pace gave up his 2017 third and fourth-rounders and a 2018 fourth-rounder for WHAT?!?” Actually, a significant portion of my brain is still processing that.
I’m also aware, though, that the 2012 Washington Redskins and 2016 Philadelphia Eagles gave up WAY more to move up for their quarterbacks than the Bears just did. It seems like a lot right now, especially in a deep defensive draft, but only mid-round picks were involved. When I think about it, I’d trade guys like Brandon Hardin, Major Wright, and Deon Bush for a quarterback too.
But anyway, as the shock settled, I started looking forward to the later rounds with some hope. Right now, the Bears’ outlook on Days 2-3 looks pretty bleak. At the moment, they only have one second, fourth, fifth, and seventh-round pick each left to use. That said, if Pace knew he was moving up for Trubisky, he likely had a plan to get some picks back. And that’s where the Bears’ high positions in their next few picks may come in handy.
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The Bears currently hold the 36th-overall pick—the fourth pick in the second round. Obviously, there will be some top-flight talent available early in this round, like Cordrea Tankersley, Forrest Lamp and Cam Robinson. Specifically, as crazy as it sounds, there’s a strong argument that the Bears should take a tackle if they can. After all, they just changed the game with the Trubisky pick. In addition to giving him weapons, they should also think about how they plan to protect him.
On the other hand, with so much talent available, they could try to lure a team into trading up from the middle and bottom of the second round. Then, they could aim to trade down to acquire more picks in a few ways. For one, the 36th-overall pick could command a late second-rounder plus at least one third-rounder or fourth-rounder. If, say, the Cleveland Browns wanted to move from #36 from #52, that could get the Bears back in the mid-round game.
There’s also the option of moving down incrementally within the round, grabbing extra picks along the way. This could work if a team like the Arizona Cardinals wanted to move up from #45, which would net a fourth-rounder. However, they could try moving down again with a lower team in the round, grabbing another mid-round guy as well. With a stock of talent this deep, it’s not out of the question. Similarly, having the tenth pick in the fourth round and the third pick of the fifth round helps trade-down possibilities as well.
Next: Which players can the Chicago Bears can target in the second round?
In short, just because the Chicago Bears made a seemingly insane trade doesn’t mean they’re going to let those picks goes. They can, and will, maneuver again tonight and tomorrow to add more players in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Likely, they’ll dip into the deep corner and safety classes, improving the big question mark of the defense. And we should also expect them to take some offensive players, either at receiver, tackle, or tight end. Now that they have their hopeful franchise quarterback pegged, they can start building around him for when he’s ready.