2018 NFL Draft: Who could Chicago Bears trade back for in the first round?

Calvin Ridley, WR (Alabama)

I will be the first to remind you all that I was never really that enamored with Ridley as a potential pick at No. 8 overall.

Yes, he’s the best receiver in the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s a great route-runner with good speed. He can run after the catch. Etc., etc.

But he just wasn’t great enough in my eyes to be a top-10 pick. He’s not that special or explosive, and the Bears could get defensive players with much greater upside than that.

So, thank goodness Pace went out and totally shored up at that receiver room in free agency, right?

Yeah…about that.

Things looked pretty nice at wide receiver after the Chicago Bears signed Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, along with grabbing a pass-catching tight end.

But then, Pace let Cameron Meredith, who would’ve likely been their No. 2 receiver, go in free agency because he didn’t trust his recovering knee.

That left a hole in the Bears’ receiver room that they still have to fill. And as much as I really like Courtland Sutton, I highly doubt the Bears would take him over Ridley if they traded back in the draft.

And if we’re talking trade-back scenarios, I’m much more amenable to taking Ridley then.

He fits the Nagy profile of a receiver that gets open through route-running prowess rather than just physical dominance. And the Alabama receiver could actually fit in nicely across from Robinson as a guy who can also take the top off a defense.

I’m not sure Ridley is a real play in the 8-12 range like the previous three players profiled here. But if the Bears traded back with the Arizona Cardinals (No. 15), Los Angeles Chargers (No. 17) or (surprise!) New England Patriots (23), should Rosen slip down the board, Riley would be a solid value pick there.

At this point, receiver is still a need, albeit not a ridiculous one, for the Chicago Bears. A mid-to-late-round grab like Ridley would assuage it.