The Chicago Bears are in the midst of a dilemma. They have seven picks in the upcoming NFL draft. That is the typical amount every team receivers. Yet this particular class is rich in depth at many positions of need. It would be such a great opportunity if the team could somehow find a way to corral even more picks.
Of course trading off certain players is an idea, but typically that involves names of value. At present the Bears really don't have any. At least none they could afford to part with. Any expendable players like a Kyle Fuller or Jeremy Langford come with too many question marks. One due to injury and the other lacking production.
Thus if the team really wanted to get extra picks, they'd have to offer up their most valuable offseason asset. The third overall pick in the draft. Such position stands a good chance of landing a top tier talent for any team interested. The problem is few believe there will be much of a market to move up that high. Chicago really has no leverage.
That's not exactly true though.
VALUE
Why is trading down such a rampant discussion at this point? The simple explanation is there isn't a clear cut talent there for the taking at #3. At least not based on recent projections. After Myles Garrett, the consensus top pick in the draft, the waters muddy in a hurry. Most tend to agree that LSU running back Leonard Fournette, Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas and Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen are next on the list. Yet there are problems with that. Fournette and Allen have injury histories that are quite worrisome. Thomas? His tape shows an undeniable game-wrecking ability. At the same time many people aren't sure where he fits. Is he a 4-3 or 3-4 guy? His body type and skill set are a unique mix. Nonetheless if given the choice, Bears fans would love him as the pick. That is unless the San Francisco 49ers swipe him at #2. The only way this doesn't happen is if the team decides to take a quarterback. Given the lukewarm opinion on this QB class, that's unlikely. Also there is the expectation the 49ers are switching to a 4-3 defense, making Thomas' fit easier to envision.If that's true, then it actually helps the Bears from the trade perspective. How? If the Browns go with Garrett as expected and the 49ers take Thomas, that means every quarterback will be available at the #3 pick in the draft. This immediately increases its value. Teams covet a pick where they feel they could get a QB of their choice. However, it takes more than that to drive up interest. Part of trading down is instilling fear. The fear that the player a team wants might be gone unless they move up to that spot. Thus the Bears have to make other teams think a quarterback could be taken shortly after their turn at #3. Well it seems they might be getting a big boost from an unexpected location.
INTEREST
Before this offseason it looked like everything was stable for the Jacksonville Jaguars at the quarterback position. Blake Bortles was the unquestioned starter. That seemed to undergo a major change with the arrival of Tom Coughlin as VP of Football Operations. There are few more experienced football minds on the planet, and he knows what good quarterbacks look like. He has the rings to prove it. His job is to build a young and talented team into a winner after years of underachieving. What could be more jarring than a change at the quarterback position? Based on a recent lack of vocal support for Bortles, that possibility gained a ton of steam in Jacksonville. This is critically important for the Bears. Why? The Jaguars hold the #4 pick in the draft. Right behind Chicago. If teams seeking a quarterback start to believe that Jacksonville might take one, and the Bears make #3 available, that could generate serious interest. The higher the interest, the more Pace can squeeze out in any deal he wishes to make. This doesn't even count the New York Jets at #6 who are clearly lurking on that front as well. It's hard to envision them going into 2017 with Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg. Or even the Los Angeles Chargers. There is an undercurrent of belief that they might be seeking the heir for Philip Rivers.Much crazier things have happened in the NFL over the years. Everything is fluid this time of year. Teams that might've felt comfortable with their quarterback situations in February might be changing their minds by April. All the Bears would have to do is keep the phone lines open and wait for the right offer.
