We know the Chicago Bears are taking Caleb Williams #1 overall. Everybody wants to know what GM Ryan Poles has planned for the #9 overall pick. Two camps have dominated these discussions. One side wants the Bears to stay put and take the best player on their board. That would most likely be a wide receiver or offensive tackle. The other side wants the Bears to trade down. They only have four picks in this draft. They will need more if they want to build a strong, deep roster.
In these situations, it’s important to ask a vital question. If the Bears do move down, what players could they be looking at? This depends on how far they decide to drop. I studied several mock drafts from some of the top experts in the field to see which players fell consistently within the same range of picks. I then pinpointed which of them would likely be viable targets for this team. Here is what fans could be looking at if the Bears do move down.
The Chicago Bears must know who they’ll get if they move down.
Between #12 and #15:
Projected return – 3rd round pick
- Brian Thomas Jr. (WR, LSU)
- Olu Fashanu (OT, Penn State)
- JC Latham (OT, Alabama)
- Laiatu Latu (EDGE, UCLA)
- Byron Murphy (DT, Texas)
Safe bettors will stay in this area. It serves two purposes. Poles can secure another draft pick while still staying high enough in the 1st round to land one of the true blue-chip talents in this class. It is evident the trenches will be the area to target for Chicago. They will still have two prominent tackles on the board: Fashanu and Latham. Fashanu is the better pass protector, while Latham is a punishing run blocker. Latu is the most polished pass rusher in this draft if you can look past his near-career-ending neck injury. Most agree Murphy is the best interior rusher, thanks to his lower body strength and elite quickness.
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Between #16 and #20:
Projected return – 2nd round pick
- Xavier Worthy (WR, Texas)
- Troy Fautanu (OT, Washington)
- Tyler Guyton (OT, Oklahoma)
- Graham Barton (C, Duke)
- Jared Verse (EDGE, Florida State
Once you get past the midway point of the 1st round, experts seem to agree there isn’t much difference in talent level between the prospects. It’s all about preference. Worthy is the fastest receiver in this draft and is better equipped than people realize. He isn’t a one-trick pony. Fautanu is a natural-born brawler with quick feet who already knows how to protect a great quarterback. Guyton is much the same way. While he is still on the raw side, he’s made tons of progress and is among the most talented. Barton played left tackle in college, but his body type suggests he is a far better fit at center. His mix of size, athleticism, and intelligence should help him excel immediately. Verse is a vicious power rusher who can win inside and outside. The Chicago Bears love guys like that.
Between #21 and #28
Projected return – Day 2 pick and future 1st round pick
- Ladd McConkey (WR, Georgia)
- Adonai Mitchell (WR, Texas)
- Jordan Morgan (OT, Arizona)
- Darius Robinson (EDGE, Missouri)
- Chop Robinson (EDGE, Penn State)
Players taken near the bottom of the 1st round all come with risks. McConkey is more of a finesse player, winning with good route-running over natural talent. Mitchell is the opposite. He is absurdly gifted with 6’4 size and 4.4 speed but only has one full year as a starter in college. Morgan is a natural pass protector. At the same time, his hand technique is too passive and he’s not a strong presence in the run game. Robinson is big, long, and powerful as a defensive end. He also has a good first step. Unfortunately, he’s too stiff to bend the edge. With Robinson, it is the other problem. He’s undersized with raw technique but is also a freakish athlete who draws comparisons to Micah Parsons.
Barton/Murphy would be my top 2 choices.
The return for number 9 should be better than stated if anyone is really motivated to move up. There is a lot of talent between picks 12 maybe all the way into the 30’s. After that, you hit a pretty steep drop off. And then again after round 4.
Poles is probably going to draft at least one DB no matter how few picks he has, too. That practically became a given when he kept Eberflus and signed Byard at safety.
Disagree that DE Darius Robinson is still in 1st round discussion after dismal athletic display at Combine. He should be selected somewhere in the mid to late 2nd round.
@jackhammer469 I like your thinking!
If Poles trades back, I hope we get JPJ, LSU’s Thomas or one of the Texas WRs.
We’re about to find out real soon!!!
It’d be sweet to trade down to #15, snag Brian Tomas Jr, get that 3rd and grab Theo Johnson TE from Penn State. Then #75 grab Brendan Rice to give Caleb familiarity with his genius football IQ, spectacular route running, stack the deck guy.🤔🤔
Erik: With Darius Robinson and Chop Robinson both on the #21-#28 list, your descriptions of them should clarify which is which. But this is a minor quibble. The major quibble is that there’s no Jackson Powers-Johnson (JPJ) on this list. He’s the closest thing to a blue chip player at center in this draft. He’s fast, strong, and quite a mauler. Not perfect, but a solid player. Looking ahead, as of now, the highest rated center on NFL Draft scout’s site for 2025 is rated as a mid-third rounder. So if the Bears want to get a top center, this… Read more »