Chicago Bears Insider Gives Percentage Possibility They Trade Down From #9

Chicago Bears fans know what to expect when the NFL draft begins next week. They will take a quarterback at #1 overall. Everybody assumes it will be Caleb Williams of USC. From there, they must wait an hour to see what comes next. GM Ryan Poles also holds the #9 pick. Debates have raged for weeks about what he might do. Some predict a wide receiver. Others see an offensive or defensive lineman. Then there is the large contingent who believe Poles have no plans of staying at that spot. He will try to trade down, hoping to secure an extra pick or two for his limited coffers.

Having only four picks in total doesn't feel like something this GM would be satisfied with. If he believes he can still land a good player later in the 1st round, he has every reason to move down. There is also the difficult decision of perhaps passing on a blue-chip talent at #9. It isn't an easy decision. Much of how it goes will depend on how picks 2-8 pan out. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune assessed the situation in his recent mailbag. From what he gathers, the odds of moving down are strong but far from a lock.

"If I had to assign a probability to the three scenarios you laid out, my guess would be staying put is the chalk play. Trading up also has a certain appeal and has created a buzz the last couple of weeks, but then the Bears would be playing with a shorter deck in 2025. Trading down is complicated because we don’t know how much interest teams will have in moving up to No. 9, and Poles might not know until the day before the draft or even until the Bears are on the clock.

a. Bears trade up: 15%
b. Bears trade down: 30%
c. Bears stay at 9: 55%"

The Chicago Bears likely have plans in place.

It is safe to assume they've had frequent phone calls with several teams about the possibility of moving down. Everything hinges on the player those respective teams want being available and whether they make an offer strong enough to convince Poles to move down. He isn't going to drop for a mere pittance. At least a Day 2 pick will be a must. Once those things are ironed out, the discussion will shift to who the Bears won't be willing to pass on if they're available. It probably won't be any defensive players. Most experts see the majority of them going outside the top 10. So, it would be an offensive name.

The four that probably stand out the most are Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, and Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt. It depends if the Chicago Bears' sentiments on those players are similar to the wider draft public. Any one of them would make life easier for Williams. It's about how comfortable Poles would be having so few picks left were he to land one of them.