Chicago Bears draft trades have become an increasing regularity during the Ryan Pace era as GM. Of the four drafts he’s participated in to this point, there’s only been one where the Bears did not make a trade of any kind. That was in 2015, his very first draft. Since then he’s gained more than enough confidence to move around the board at his leisure.
The question people have is will he do anything in this 2019 draft? It’s hard to know. The Bears only have five picks in total and none of them are 1st or 2nd rounders. This would seem to indicate their range of motion is restricted. Then again such things haven’t stopped Pace before.
So let’s assume that the Bears are at least interested in doing some moving around this year, be it up or down the board. Which teams might be able to help them do that? Here is a rundown of the ones they are most likely to call or get called by.
UP:
New York Jets
The Jets have six picks total in the draft this year. There’s a reason rumors persist about them wanting to move down from #3 overall. However, if they’re unable to, their next pick will be #68 in the 3rd round. Presuming the Bears see somebody they covet enough to jump up a few spaces that late, it’s likely the Jets will have their ears wide open.
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Seattle Seahawks
Only one team has fewer picks than the Bears in this draft, and that’s the Seahawks who have four. It’s quite possible they may move down from #21 overall in the 1st round and likely will be moving down quite a bit to acquire more picks. They have the #84 spot in the 3rd round which would be a minor move for Pace but it’s likely other possibilities will be there too.
San Francisco 49ers
Several times the past few years, 49ers GM John Lynch has made it clear he’s open to acquiring more picks. The Bears should know this after what happened in 2017 with the Mitch Trubisky trade. San Francisco has the 67th pick near the top of the 3rd round. Prime real estate if Pace is thinking about a more aggressive move to get a guy he wants.
DOWN:
New England Patriots
Few teams love moving around the board more than the Patriots. They have 12 picks in this draft including two at the end of the 3rd round in #97 and #101. The Bears are in good position to be an attractive spot if they wish to move up and have 4th and 6th round selections to facilitate some sort of deal. Future picks may also come into play.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have been moving around quite a bit the past few drafts and that shouldn’t change this year. Not when they have 10 picks total. They could have interest jumping back into the 3rd round and have two 4th and two 5th round choices with which to make something like that happen. Much depends on how far back Pace is willing to move.
Baltimore Ravens
Ozzie Newsome doesn’t run the show anymore but historically the Ravens are one of the most active teams in trading around the middle of the draft. It shouldn’t be a surprise. Between the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds they have five picks including #102 overall. That would be a sweet spot for staying in the 3rd but still being able to acquire an extra pick or two for Chicago.
