Greg Gabriel is a former scout for the Chicago Bears. He also deserves credit for being the first one to mention the likelihood that GM Ryan Poles would look to trade down a second time after securing the 9th overall pick from Carolina. That rumor has since gained lots of traction from other insiders, including Peter King of NBC Sports. Poles clearly wants to move down, and there appears to be a market for it. As always, it depends on if the right players are available when the Bears go on the clock.
Gabriel believes there will be interest, and he’s also heard about the Pittsburgh Steelers being the most mentioned team. Some believe they want Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. However, Gabriel thinks they also seek one of the top offensive tackles. Either way, the next question is what the Bears could get in such a scenario. It is here where he revealed the ideal scenario on Windy City Gridiron. It doesn’t involve adding another pick to their already extensive inventory.
Instead, it’s about improving their overall position.
“If I were doing the trade, I might look at a scenario such as the following. The Steelers currently hold two picks in the second round: the 32nd overall selection and the 49th overall selection. The Bears’ picks in the second round are the 53rd overall pick as well as the 61st pick. In order to make this trade, I would swap second-round picks with the Steelers, meaning the Bears would get 32 and 49, and the Steelers would receive 53 and 61.
On the trade chart, the Bears would be out some points but in my opinion, so what? The strong area of this Draft is the top half of the second round. Having picks 32 and 49 would give the Bears considerably better players than at 53 and 61. That has to be a consideration when making the trade.”
The Chicago Bears seem focused on the positioning.
Multiple experts have said the strength of this draft will sit between the 20th and 45th picks. Teams should be able to get good players who can start immediately in that range. The 32nd pick would accomplish that goal. Meanwhile, the 49th pick would put them in a great position to move up if somebody else catches their eye. Pittsburgh would get their guy at #9 and still have two picks in the 2nd round. It’s a win-win (on paper) for both sides. Whether the Steelers would go for it is unknown.
This should increase the excitement even more for Chicago Bears fans. Waiting for the #1 pick trade was thrilling. To think they could see it happen again is icing on the cake. It would mark the first time since 2003 they’ve traded down twice in the 1st round. One can only hope Poles has better luck than Jerry Angelo did. It certainly seems like he knows what he’s doing. Expect him to target an offensive tackle if the Bears do move down when the action starts on the 27th.
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