3 Players the Bears Can Target Trading Down From No. 9 Pick

Long story short, the Chicago Bears are low on draft capital. Ryan Poles has a particular preference for trading down and recouping picks. It will most likely happen again in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, only Poles knows when he ideally will make the significant move.

Let us approach it via this scenario. What if he trades out from pick number nine? The top three wide receivers are gone. Top tackle prospect Joe Alt is selected, and the top edge Dallas Turner is off the board.

Now, the Bears can secure their man and not worry about it. Yet, there is the possibility of him still being there later on. Why not trade down and receive more picks? That would be the best available route to take. There will still be plenty of great players.

If the Chicago Bears go this route, these are the three best college draft prospects that would be ideal.

1. Jackson Powers-Johnson: C, University of Oregon

Jackson Powers-Johnson is the best center in the 2024 NFL Draft Class. Most analysts and mock drafts project him to be selected at the end of the first round. If the Bears trade down and can get draft capital and still land him, that can be an excellent plan.

They dealt for Ryan Bates from the Buffalo Bills and signed Coleman Shelton from the Los Angeles Rams. They established the center position for the short term. However, they need a youngster to learn from the veterans. He has all the tools necessary to be successful.

You can argue that taking a center that high in the first round is not the right approach, but it is a significant need entering the draft.

If the Bears decide to trade down from nine and select a guy like Powers-Johnson, then the Bears will be set at the position for the next decade with that and at quarterback. The combination of him and Caleb Williams will secure a foundation the offense has not seen in a long time.