GM Ryan Poles knows what he's going to do with the #1 pick. He is taking a quarterback, probably Caleb Williams. After that, the true wait begins. Chicago Bears fans are dying to know what Poles has planned for the #9 pick. On the one hand, it's a terrific opportunity to land another potential blue-chip talent. Maybe a wide receiver or offensive tackle to help Williams. On the other hand, there is one looming concern about this draft. The Bears only have four picks. Poles has never seemed like the type to be comfortable with something like that.
It is why speculation remains high that he is angling to move down from #9 should the board present good enough bait to dangle for other teams to come up. The obvious question is how far Poles is willing to move down. Some may think it could only be a few spots, hoping to secure an extra pick or two while still landing a potential top-10 talent. However, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune isn't so sure about that. While the Bears could stay put at #9, he's relatively confident if they move down, it will be with the intent of scooping a 2nd round pick.
The flip side is it’s a deep draft at the top, but that’s not the case after Round 4. One personnel man said, after scanning his team’s board, “It’s deep through the early parts of the second round.” If the Bears feel similarly, Poles could be encouraged to explore trade-down scenarios, but they would have to drop a good distance in Round 1 to recoup a second-rounder. Based on reports that the Bears hosted Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, West Virginia center Zach Frazier and Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson at Halas Hall for top-30 visits, adding a second-round pick is a possibility they’re preparing for.
The Chicago Bears may have to move down far to make that happen.
We're talking somewhere in the #17 to #20 range. There is no way any of the top receivers or offensive tackles are dropping that far. This means Poles and his front office would likely be targeting a different position. The safe bet is the defensive line, where some good edge rushers and defensive tackles should still be available. There is also a remote chance tight end Brock Bowers could slip that far. Jared Verse, Laiatu Latu, Byron Murphy, and Jer'Zhan Newton could all be possibilities.
The argument becomes which scenario is better: Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, or maybe Caleb Williams, Byron Murphy, Ladd McConkey, or Zach Frazier. No doubt Chicago Bears fans will have their opinions on this. If Poles is certain one of the players at #9 is a future superstar, he's unlikely to move. However, we must remember this is the same man who willingly traded down from #1 last year. He is confident enough in the talent evaluation of himself and his team that a large drop down the board wouldn't phase them.
