As the final hours before the NFL Draft wind down, rumors and reports start to get a lot more interesting. Speculation always starts well before the draft, but ultimately even NFL teams often don't know what they're doing until the draft is about to begin, so how could insiders know?
That makes Thursday-morning reports especially telling, and the latest from NFL on Fox's Jordan Schultz could really screw the Bears.
Saints Trade-Down Could Be Bad News for Bears in Round 1
Schultz reports that the Saints are shopping around the No. 9 pick in the first round on Thursday, looking to trade back into the later first round to add more picks. That means the pick one spot ahead of the Bears is on the market with a motivated seller. It's a tough situation to be in.
The #Saints have made calls about potentially sliding back slightly from No. 9 to acquire additional draft capital, with the leaguewide belief being they would then use those extra picks to trade back into the late first round to target a quarterback, sources tell @NFLonFOX.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 24, 2025
New… pic.twitter.com/p7WHGA31ka
Usually, you have a decent idea of who the team ahead of you might be targeting, or at least what position. If you have different team needs, there's not too much to worry about. But having the pick available to the highest bidder changes everything.
The Bears' need is obvious — they're likely to add a top-tier tackle. But other teams know this too. Suddenly, if someone wants a great tackle, they can jump up to No. 9 to make sure they land him.
Ryan Pace hasn't been subtle with his draft plans, being open to drafting either a right tackle or a left tackle, but he may not have many options if the Saints do find a trade partner to move down.
Will Campbell is probably not a realistic hope at No. 10, but with Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks Jr. both reasonable options, Bears fans who want a tackle will be sweating it right until the last moment. The one saving grace is that Ohio State's Josh Simmons is a pretty exciting prospect who seems like he'll go more in the middle or late first round. So if the Bears' top options aren't there at 10, they may be able to trade back a few picks as well.