The Trade Between the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Raiders Makes Sense for Everyone and.
In the next NFL draft, the Chicago Bears will have two first-round selections. It’s safe to assume that they won’t be touching their first pick, the overall number one, with which they’ll most likely choose Caleb Williams, the much anticipated and highly respected quarterback prospect from USC.
But that ninth-ranking second pick? It almost seems like it says “trade me.” This is especially true for the Bears front staff, which has just four picks in the draft and perhaps feels that they should add more draft capital.
That being said, it’s not entirely out of the question that Chicago might trade away their second first-round pick and drop in the draft to acquire one or more additional draft picks. The quarterback-needy Las Vegas Raiders, who currently own the 13th selection in the first round but probably won’t be able to select any of the top quarterback prospects, are among the teams most frequently involved in such trades.
Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report recently concocted a scenario in which, should a top quarterback still be available at that point, the Raiders strike a deal with the Bears to trade up to pick nine.
Although the Raiders’ reasoning is sound, it makes sense only if a high-value quarterback is still available when the Bears take their second pick in the first round. By the ninth spot, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels will undoubtedly be gone, but there’s still J.J. McCarthy and possibly Michael Penix Jr.
If/when McCarthy becomes available, it’s believed that the Raiders will go “all in” for him and be prepared to forfeit a few draft picks in order to acquire him.
“The Bears front office may find the second-round pick that Las Vegas has intriguing in trade talks.
With that trade chip, the Raiders may be able to outbid the Broncos in the race for the No. 9 pick and possibly a new quarterback.
..Starting with the No. 44 overall pick, Vegas can package a few Day 2 and Day 3 selections to the Bears.
The Bears would love to select a wide out at number nine, but if the offer is good enough, they might move up to enhance another position on the squad by taking advantage of a different team’s predicament, or they could hold out hope that a top wide out falls to number thirteen.
A number of factors will be in play to decide whether or not trade decisions are made, as is typically the case with draft-day transactions. However, Chicago has a good, valuable asset at number nine, and they will have already taken the top pick in the draft—Williams—by the time they make their second selection in the first round. They can afford to use what’s left to wriggle around a little.
