Chicago Bears Reportedly Among Most Eager Teams to Trade Down in 2017 NFL Draft
The Chicago Bears are reportedly looking hard to trade down from the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
The Chicago Bears hold the third overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. That pick is their reward for enduring an ugly 3-13 2016 season. While they can undoubtedly land some top shelf talent at picking at the top, Ryan Pace and company appear to be looking to move down.
In his Monday Morning Quarterback spot, Peter King of Sports Illustrated named the Chicago Bears among the teams most eager to trade down at the top of the draft.
"San Francisco (two), Chicago (three) and the Jets (six) are the ones I hear are most eager to move back in a market with few teams wanting to move up."
Trading down is always appealing. Many NFL teams have shown a willingness to pay a huge premium in order to come up and take a specific player who they are targeting. The team that is coming down in the scenario usually walks away as the seeming winner on draft day. That does not mean that they win every trade, but it usually looks like a strong move to trade down at the time.
This Draft Class Fits Well for a Trade Down
This draft specifically seems to bode well for a trade down. Myles Garrett is the clear top prospect in the class and there is not a true franchise quarterback who everyone is in love with. I would not be surprised to see a quarterback or two go in the top ten, but there simply is not an Andrew Luck kind of player in this class.
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While the Bears will be able to find a premium talent at number three, they would be able to find a similar kind of player a few picks later and pick up extra draft capital. Let’s say they trade down to the 7-11 range. Safety Jamal Adams would no longer be an option, but the Bears could still possibly land someone like Ohio State safety Malik Hooker or Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster.
In my latest mock draft for Da Windy City, I looked at trade down possibilities for the Bears. In this mock draft, the Bears traded down from the third overall pick to number 11 with the New Orleans Saints. I was able to get the Bears a ton of other draft capital to use later and it turned out to be a fantastic addition of talent to the roster. At number 11, Hooker was still there for the Bears to take. That would be an ideal situation for the Chicago Bears on draft day.
There is obviously some downside to this but in a class where there is a lot of similar talent in the first 15 picks or so, a trade down makes a ton of sense. The problem is that all teams know this. Unless a specific team falls in love with a specific prospect, it is going to be difficult to find a team willing to pay the premium involved with trading up.
Next: Bears 7-Round Mock Draft With a Ton of Trades
The most likely scenario is that the Bears stay put and take a premium prospect at number three. However, considering a trade down makes a ton of sense on the surface, it is nice to see Pace considering all options.