The Bears and Steelers agreed to terms on a deal that sent Chase Claypool to Chicago for what became the 32nd pick in the draft ahead of the trade deadline last season. The two front offices have reportedly been in contact again about swapping first-round selections (Chicago is picking ninth, and Pittsburgh is picking 17th) in the upcoming draft. Ryan Poles has shown an affinity for wheeling and dealing, and it would not be surprising to see them pull the trigger on the move if they can land multiple valuable selections in the deal.
Could the Bears get the 32nd pick back from Pittsburgh in the deal? If they were willing to throw in a mid-round selection to sweeten the pot, they just might be able to get that done. With that said, the Steelers also have the 49th pick, and Chicago should be able to acquire that selection (and potentially more) if they prefer to move down without giving up any more draft capital.
In his introductory press conference after becoming the Bears’ general manager, Ryan Poles vowed to build the roster through the draft. One year later, he looks to be a man of his word. The Bears already have four picks in the first 64 selections, and another top-50 pick would allow them to add another potential starter.
The fact that both teams could target the same players makes negotiations especially interesting. They both desperately need to improve in the trenches, and you could argue that the offensive tackle position is each of their biggest weakness. They have both shown interest in some of the top tackles in the class and will all but certainly be addressing the position with one of their first selections.
The Bears might have traded down once already, but they are still in a prime position to take their pick of the top tackles on the board. Poles has stated he felt comfortable trading down to nine because he believed it would keep them in the territory to land a blue-chip prospect.
Considering the fact of the matter is the NFL Draft is always a crapshoot, it’s certainly possible. We see elite talent inexplicably tumble down the board and vastly outperform players selected in the top ten every year. However, moving down again indicates that he has a massive amount of trust in his draft board and believes in his evaluations. He would have to believe their target at 17 would provide a similar impact to whoever is on the board at nine.
The one player that could throw a wrench into negotiations is Jalen Carter. The Bears have done their due diligence on Carter throughout the draft process, and he was one of two candidates (along with Will Anderson Jr.) they were realistically considering with the top pick before his stock plummeted. If his background check comes back squeaky clean, he could have enough upside to lure Chicago into staying pat and adding him to fortify their defensive front.
If they do pull the trigger, they should still be able to land a great player with the 17th pick. The draft is strong at offensive tackle and edge rusher, which are the Bears’ biggest needs. They might not be able to land Jalen Carter, Paris Johnson Jr., or Tyree Wilson, but Lukas Van Ness, Darnell Wright, or Nolan Smith (and another second-round selection to boot) would be great consolation prizes with the 17th pick.
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