For the past few weeks, I’ve grown more and more convinced Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles hopes to trade down in the upcoming NFL draft. Much of this is due to a combination of factors. One is his general lack of aggressiveness in free agency, leaving several roster spots still open. The other is his original statement that he intends to build through the draft. That isn’t easy to do with only six picks available. With two selections in the top half of the 2nd round, they seem better positioned to add more.
Now Peter King of NBC Sports has helped to fan those flames further. According to what he’s been hearing lately, there is a wide disparity between teams this year in terms of their draft boards. Players that rank high to some may not to others. Such a situation is a perfect recipe for trading. For example, a team with a player rating at #39 on their board the Bears may not even have rated in the top 50.
That could lead to a deal being worked out.
“I’ve heard this from a couple of draft rooms: Because of wide variety of opinions on board-stacking throughout the league, some team drafting in the fifties could see its 12th-rated player still alive at 30 and be motivated to jump up there. “We could sit where we are right now and get three of the top 20 or 25 on our board,” Loomis of the Saints told me. With the 16th, 19th and 49th picks, Loomis is counting on the disparity of draft boards around the league to drop a player the Saints grade in their top 20 or so into their laps at 49.”
The common tactic in this situation is the Chicago Bears trade down from #39, getting the best possible package of picks they can. Then they grab a player they want who will hopefully be there with the #48 pick they got from Los Angeles for Khalil Mack. It isn’t a bad strategy. If Loomis is correct and the odds are high that player rankings are divisive this year, then the odds are favorable Poles would get somebody he wants despite not picking for another nine spots.
Much of it will depend on which teams may be interested in moving up. This year, several have extra picks, including a handful with ten or more picking lower than the Bears. This should give the team a favorable opportunity to get a trade they’re looking for. They’ll just need the right player to be available when the time comes.
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