Getty Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
The Chicago Bears will be seeking a trade partner for Justin Fields over the next few months if they decide to use the No. 1 pick on a new franchise quarterback. And if the right team — the New England Patriots — takes an interest, NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter believes they could make an aggressive move for a receiver.
Reuter recently published his latest three-round 2024 mock draft for NFL.com and projected an eye-catching exchange between the Bears and Patriots in the first round. The Bears would trade Fields and their No. 9 pick to New England in exchange for the No. 3 pick along with a 2024 fourth-rounder and conditional 2025 fifth-rounder.
Then, after taking USC’s Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall, the Bears would turn around and use their newly acquired No. 3 selection to draft Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr.
“The Bears take the Patriots’ trade compensation package for Fields to get a future star receiver to make Williams’ transition to the NFL easier,” Reuter wrote on February 12. “Harrison has room to grow at the next level, but his size/speed combination, body control and elusiveness with the ball in his hands are already tough for corners to handle.”
Bears Aggressively Trading Up Would Mirror Texans
Reuter makes a bold suggestion for the Bears — and not one without some merit.
There is a good chance one of the top three receivers will still be on the board when the Bears make their second first-round pick at No. 9. Many draft analysts believe Harrison will not make it out of the top four picks, but the projections for Washington’s Rome Odunze and LSU’s Malik Nabers are less certain. Either could slip out of the top 10.
If the Bears do not like being at the mercy of seven other teams, though, it could make a great deal of sense for them to trade up and take their favorite receiver of the bunch.
The Houston Texans made a similar move in 2023 when they drafted quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2 and then traded back up to No. 3 to select edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. The Texans gave up their Nos. 12 and 33 overall picks, a third-rounder and their future 2024 first-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals to get the deal done.
Unlike the Bears, though, the Texans did not have a young passer to use as a trade chip.
NFL insider Adam Schefter told ESPN Chicago’s ‘Waddle & Silvy’ on February 6 that he believes the Bears could “definitely” get a second-round pick for Fields and maybe even a first. If he is right about Fields’ trade value, then realistically the Bears could attempt to negotiate a move up with a team like the Patriots, who badly need a new quarterback.
Marvin Harrison Jr. Could Be ‘Top-10 Receiver’ as Rookie
Marvin Harrison Jr. could wind up being the crown jewel of non-quarterback picks in the 2024 class, and it does not take a deep study of his college tape to understand why.
Harrison racked up 2,474 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns over his final two seasons with the Buckeyes, building a reputation as one of the most athletically gifted receivers in college football. He moves around the field like a gazelle, using a blend of speed and hyper-awareness to make plays as a vertical threat, but he also attacks the catch point with all the physicality expected of a prototypical X receiver at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds.
Additionally, Harrison is a nuanced route runner with a well-developed route tree that allows him to threaten at all three levels of the field. He possesses so many intangibles, in fact, that ESPN’s Jordan Reid put him at the top of his 2024 prospects rankings over USC’s Caleb Williams and referred to him as an “instant-impact type of prospect.”
“Harrison is an instant-impact type of prospect with the potential to be a top-10 receiver in the NFL as early as his rookie season,” Reid wrote on February 7.
The biggest question for the Bears is whether they feel there is enough of a gap between Harrison and his fellow receiver prospects — Odunze and Nabers — to move up for him. According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, three NFL scouts told him at the Senior Bowl that they “actually have Nabers ranked ahead of Harrison on their initial draft boards.”
If the Bears feel similarly, then waiting things out at No. 9 makes more sense.