How New Info Just Killed A Persistent Chicago Bears Draft Rumor

The Chicago Bears have been remarkably quiet in the lead-up to the NFL draft. Nobody has a clue what they might be planning. While other teams have representatives scattered across the country evaluating players, the Bears have gone unmentioned. Their ability to stay out of the spotlight has been impressive, creating an air of mystery that has experts uncertain about their intentions. Currently, there is a tug of war going on between those who think they will take an edge rusher with the 25th pick, while others believe they will look to solve the left tackle spot once and for all.

Some believe the true hope for general manager Ryan Poles is to trade down, accumulating some extra picks to help the team fill out their depth chart and avoid reaching on somebody they may not be sure about. However, a select few think all this silence might be a cover for a bold move on the 23rd. They will trade, but it will be up to the board for what they hope will be a true difference-maker. However, insider Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports poured cold water on that possibility in his latest column.

Because this draft doesn’t have as much blue-chip talent as typical years, and because there is so much variance in what teams believe about these guys, I actually anticipate the middle of the first round to not have much trade activity…

…”In lesser drafts, the boards diverge even quicker,” said one source. If you’re, say, Carolina at 19, but you only have first-round grades on 15 players (that’s a guess, by the way), I would say the odds are very good that you’ll have multiple prospects with first-round grades still available when you select. 

I could see trade activity up high in this year’s draft — with the team trading out only going down a few slots — and down low. But the middle could see teams let the board come to them.

This simplifies things for the Chicago Bears.

While this doesn’t outright mean it won’t happen, it makes the likelihood far less. It is one thing for the Bears to be interested. The problem is you need another team involved to make a trade work. If nobody in the hot zone of where the Bears want to move up is keen on moving down, it doesn’t matter what you try. You’re stuck. That is the harsh reality of draft trades. Sometimes there just isn’t a market to make it happen. In such cases, the Bears have to accept reality and figure something else out.

They proved they could do that last year. They wanted desperately to move up for running back TreyVeyon Henderson in the 2nd round. Sadly, they couldn’t find a buyer. Henderson went to New England one pick before them. Rather than wallowing in depression over their lost chance, the team quickly pivoted to Luther Burden. That worked out well, and they still managed to land Kyle Monangai later in the draft. Things tend to go well for you, provided you don’t have your heart set on one outcome.

The outcome seems to have narrowed to three possibilities.

By far the most popular among fans, media, and some experts is that they’ll take the best defensive lineman on their board. Be it an edge rusher or defensive tackle, the Chicago Bears will look to give their defensive front some juice after a tough 2025. Next would be taking a left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo’s future is uncertain, and the team has no clear option they can bet on. The Bears have been actively scouting that position over the past few months, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see them go that route.

Then there is the trade down route. One must remember the Bears have no picks in the 5th and 6th rounds. They also gave up a future 5th for Garrett Bradbury. Poles may wish to recoup some of those losses by moving down. We already know Poles isn’t afraid to do this. He did it twice in 2023 when dropping from #1 to #10, and was in Kansas City when they did it in 2016. If he can find a team in the right landing zone that makes an acceptable offer, that feels like an option the Bears are looking for.