Oddsmakers Reveal Three Names Favored To Be Chicago Bears' #9 Pick

If you're placing bets on who the Chicago Bears will take #1 overall, you're wasting money at this point. Everybody believes it will be Caleb Williams and there hasn't been any signs of that changing since the scouting combine. Every meeting between player and team has reportedly gone well. The real intrigue is with the Bears' 9th overall pick later down the board. Nobody knows for sure who GM Ryan Poles might take or if he could decide to trade down in hopes of accumulating more picks. As always, Las Vegas has an opinion on how this plays out.

Jaime Eisner is the COO of The Draft Network and their NFL betting expert. He did some digging into sportsbooks and revealed which players are the current favorites to go #9 to Chicago were they to stay put. It is somewhat surprising. Oddsmakers seem to think the Bears go in one of two directions. Either they take a wide receiver or a pass rusher. The idea of an offensive tackle doesn't have as much traction as some people think. The specific players involved?

• Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze
• Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner
• Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse

It's hard to argue that outlook for the Chicago Bears.

While an offensive tackle is certainly possible, there are no indications the team is displeased with Braxton Jones' progress. The options available would have to be significantly better than him. Besides, most experts agree the wide receiver options are better, while the Bears have more pressing needs on the defensive line. So, the sportsbooks got that part right. Projections have Odunze being the last of the three receivers to come off the board, so his inclusion is no surprise. Nor is Turner who had the best scouting combine performance and may have the most upside of any player at his position.

Perhaps the most intriguing name is Verse. There have been no updates on whether the Chicago Bears have met with the FSU standout, which means one of two things. Either they don't have much interest in him or they like him a lot and don't want other teams to know. There is no question he fits their profile: powerful, athletic, and violent. Any one of those players would be an exciting addition to the roster. It comes down to who will be available and which of them the team feels has the best chance to succeed.