Getty Bears QB Justin Fields needs receivers and O-linemen in a big way.
The Chicago Bears moved up nine spots in the first round of the NFL draft last year to select quarterback Justin Fields at No. 11 overall.
While it’s highly unlikely they’ll do it again this year, Fields needs weapons and offensive linemen in a big way, and Round 1 has plenty of playmaking wideouts and bruising O-linemen.
In his April 20 mock draft for ESPN, analyst Bill Barnwell put together a series of trade proposals for each team with selections in the first round. The New England Patriots own the 21st overall pick in the draft this year, and Barnwell has them sending it to the Bears, who could then leap ahead of their top divisional rivals, the Green Bay Packers in the picking order.
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Barnwell: Bears Could Add Position of Need in Round 1
The Packers, who are also in the hunt for wide receivers after trading Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, have two selections in Round 1: No. 22 and No. 28.
Barnwell thinks the Bears could one-up the Green Bay and snag a highly coveted player in one fell swoop. Here’s the trade Barnwell proposed:
- Patriots get: 2022 second-round pick (No. 39), 2023 second-round pick, 2023 fifth-round pick
- Bears get: 2022 first-round pick (No. 21), 2023 fourth-round pick
“Here’s an opportunity for Bill Belichick to take advantage of another team’s desperation,” Barnwell wrote, further breaking down his logic for the proposal:
The Bears need to add pieces around second-year quarterback Justin Fields, but with a dismal cap situation and no first-round pick, the most notable addition general manager Ryan Poles has been able to make this offseason is Byron Pringle. That won’t do. Chicago could move ahead of its division rivals in Green Bay to add a wide receiver or interior lineman here. The Bears could get this done by sending picks Nos. 39 and 48 to the Patriots, but with unlimited job security, Belichick would probably prefer a 2023 second-rounder from a rebuilding organization. Landing two picks in the 30s for the 21st pick is an easy win for Belichick, who has been doing this for a long time. New England would likely look to hit the interior of its offensive line or the secondary after trading down.
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Would Bears GM Ryan Poles Consider This Trade?
It’s highly unlikely, but it also depends on how the board falls and who is available at 21. If the perfect player — like, say, Fields’ former teammate at Ohio State, wideout Chris Olave — is still there, anything is possible.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has been incredibly conservative since arriving in January, and the idea that Poles could still keep one of the team’s two second-rounders this year in Barnwell’s proposal is intriguing.
Still, the Bears only have six picks in the 2022 draft, and Poles can also land quality talent in Rounds 2-3, where three of Chicago’s six selections lie.
Sending three draft picks in exchange for one unproven player is always a gamble. Trade proposals like these are fun exercises, but they’re often not realistic. This one would allow Chicago to potentially steal a player from its rival, but the cost could be too great.
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