Chicago Bears: Could Giants’ pre-draft moves impact No. 8 pick?

If the New York Giants are signaling that they want to take Bradley Chubb in the 2018 NFL Draft, that helps the Chicago Bears.

In the weeks leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft, everyone, Chicago Bears fans included, will be watching to see if any pre-draft moves can tip off how the top 10 will fall.

We’ve already seen one big trade as the New York Jets traded up to No. 3 overall in the draft, swapping with the Colts (now at No. 6). That seemed to signal their intention to trade up for the quarterback of their choosing.

Then, the other New York team, the Giants (currently at No. 2), just got a third-round pick and swapped fourth-rounders with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at No. 7) to ship Jason Pierre-Paul out of town.

We’ve already previously alluded to what the Jets-Colts move could potentially mean for the Bears. Specifically, it increases the chance that the run on quarterbacks will begin early, possibly with all four going before the Bears pick at No. 8 overall. That would, of course, be outstanding, as a top player would then fall to them.

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And this last move, though it doesn’t necessarily set anything in stone, could signal that the Giants could make a run at one of those players in particular.

With Pierre-Paul gone, a spot just opened up on the Giants’ defensive line. And though they still have Olivier Vernon, the other rotation players are unproven. As such, Bradley Chubb now probably looks extremely appealing to the Giants.

In fact, that trade may have even been a way of clearing the path for him to play immediately. We won’t know until draft time, of course.

Furthermore, if the Giants wanted Chubb and believed that the top four picks could largely be quarterbacks, perhaps they elect to trade down within the top 10 and pick Chubb anyway. I’d be looking at a team like Denver that could potentially make a surprise trade-up for a quarterback to swap with them.

And if the Giants want Chubb, that’s going to make things very interesting for the Chicago Bears.

Obviously, it increases the odds that Quenton Nelson, Saquon Barkley and/or Minkah Fitzpatrick fall to the Bears at No. 8.

Specifically, Nelson is the guy to really watch here.

I believe the Bears would absolutely love to have him, though the chances he makes it to No. 8 aren’t good. And whether the Giants trade down or not, who’s to say they wouldn’t take Nelson instead of Chubb anyway? Regardless of positional value, Nelson may well be a better prospect.

That said, if the Giants take Chubb to replace the void left by Pierre-Paul, assuming they aren’t going to deke everyone out and take a quarterback themselves, that’s big for the Bears.

Chubb, while a great player, might actually be a better fit elsewhere than with the Bears. Though the team does play 40-style fronts a fair amount of the time, Chubb is more a tweener in a 3-4 front.

From that standpoint, the Giants could be a better fit if they deploy more 4-3 fronts than people expect under James Bettcher as Bruce Arians warned that they might.

For my money, I think the best fits for the Bears at No. 8 among players that could fall are Nelson and Fitzpatrick.

Saquon Barkley is an incredible talent, but again: I’m just not convinced the Bears take Barkley at No. 8 when they have two solid backs.

Besides, why would Ryan Pace reach for Barkley when he’s gotten two very good backs in the fourth round or after two years in a row?

Truthfully, it just wouldn’t move the needle for the team, in my opinion, more than taking Nelson, Fitzpatrick or another player.

Next: Upcoming position battles for Bears

And who knows? Maybe even if one of them falls, they still attempt to trade back in the draft to acquire more talent.

That said, at least in my eyes, I very much hope the Giants take Chubb. If they do, it gets the Chicago Bears one step closer to drafting a guy who could help return this franchise to greatness.