This is right around the time of year when the serious leaks start happening in regard to the NFL draft. While predicting the entire 1st round is impossible, there is a much clearer view of what will happen in the top 7-10 picks. This could impact the Chicago Bears in a big way since they sit at 9th overall. Benjamin Allbright is one of the more well-connected insiders around the league. Every year he releases what he’s hearing for the early part of the 1st round. His accuracy over the years has been impressive.
In 2021, he correctly predicted each of the first seven picks. That is why it was notable to see what he thinks will happen come next Thursday in Kansas City.
This confirms a few of the rumors floating around. Houston won’t go QB at #2. Arizona will trade back from #3. The big surprise is Las Vegas moving up for a QB. The first piece of big news for the Bears is Seattle taking Jalen Carter. He was the only player likely to convince GM Ryan Poles to stay at #9. That means a trade down becomes the likeliest scenario. This outcome gets better too.
The Chicago Bears will have a QB to dangle.
Unless Will Levis goes #8 to Atlanta, which seems unlikely, it means he will be on the board when the Bears are on the clock. Teams like Tennessee (#11) and Houston (#12) will be waiting for a chance to take him. That means a team picking further down the board, like Washington or Tampa Bay, might want to jump in front of them. There is also a top corner in Devon Witherspoon teams may want to grab. Most importantly, this outcome means every offensive tackle is likely on the board. It would give Poles even more justification to move down, knowing he’d have a reasonable shot of landing one of them.
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This scenario pretty much plays directly into the strongest rumors surrounding the Chicago Bears over the past few weeks. If Poles felt it was trending this way, it would explain why he is so keen on moving down. He knows there won’t be any blue chip talents left to take at #9. All he needs is a reasonable offer from somebody and he’s gone. That should make things exciting for fans if nothing else. For years their nights seemed to end earlier than expected because of Ryan Pace. Not anymore.
