There are those Chicago Bears fans who revel in not having any clue what their team will do in the NFL draft. Then there are those who can't stand it. Based on standard protocol under the current regime, the latter group must be feeling ill. At present nobody has the slightest clue what the Bears are planning. All they can do is speculate based on knowing the teams' needs and structure of the current draft class.
Quarterback, safety, cornerback, tight end and wide receiver all belong on the list of pressing needs. Considering this team just finished going 3-13, odds are there are others the Bears would like to fill as well. Free agency will help with that, but GM Ryan Pace isn't known for being a splurge kind of guy. He's always preferred to build through the draft.
In order to do that though he needs picks. He'll have the standard amount of seven going into next April. That isn't a bad thing. However, there is a growing rumble that the 38-year old may desire a little more flexibility than that.
There is nothing football fans love more than a good draft day trade. Even before the movie Draft Day illustrated how it could go, they knew it was a high-stakes poker game between two teams to see who would blink first. Big trades can often make or break a franchise, and everybody has that sense of adventure inside them when it comes to gambling.
After last year it's also apparent that Pace is becoming more comfortable with his position and less fearful of moving around in the draft. He jumped from #11 to #9 in the first round to select Leonard Floyd. Then he dropped from #41 to #56 in two moves before grabbing Cody Whitehair. Solid work.
Now there are growing whispers that he may have plans for more action.
https://twitter.com/NFLDraftPreview/status/837160067275313156
Normally most would just consider this a typical rumor this time of year. Common draft buzz that people will say is what every team spreads around. It doesn't mean it's always true. Trading back sounds nice but more often than not it doesn't happen, particularly in the top 10. However, Ryan Pace added some fuel to the fire during his press conference at the scouting combine when he delivered this statement.
https://twitter.com/AdamHoge/status/836963367034187777
Not a straight admission but certainly the last part of that, "Especially when you're a team with needs" was a clear indicator that Pace might feel the Bears need more ammunition. This upcoming draft is rich at several positions of need including tight end, the secondary, pass rushers and wide receivers. Seven picks don't offer the best odds of covering each position with high potential talent.
So if the Bears really are entertaining the idea, how have trades down from the #3 pick fared in the past?
Since the year 2000, the third pick in the first round of the NFL draft has been traded a total of three times. Ironic, eh? They occurred in 2000, 2012 and 2013. Here is a breakdown of each of those deals, what was exchanged and how the teams ultimately came out from them.
2000 - Redskins trade #12 and #24 picks to 49ers for #3 pick
- Washington selects OT Chris Samuels (6x Pro Bowler)
- San Francisco turns picks into LB Julian Peterson (2x Pro Bowler), CB Ahmed Plummer, and CB Jason Webster
2012 - Browns trade #4 pick, 4th, 5th and 7th rounders to Vikings for #3 pick
- Cleveland selects RB Trent Richardson
- Minnesota turns picks in OT Matt Kalil (1x Pro Bowler), WR Jarius Wright, S Robert Blanton, CB A.J. Jefferson, and LB Michael Mauti
2013 - Dolphins trades #12 pick and 2nd round pick to Raiders for #3 pick
- Miami selects DE Dion Jordan
- Oakland turns picks into CB D.J. Hayden and OT Menelik Watson
