Bears ‘Talking’ About Potential 2nd-Round Trade Up: Report

The Chicago Bears pulled off the rare double trade-down maneuver in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, but the wealth of talent still available on Day 2 has them considering their options for trading up in the second round.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Bears are one of the teams that were calling around toward the end of the first round on Thursday night and trying to figure out what options they had for potentially moving up in the second round. Specifically, Rapoport mentioned the Pittsburgh Steelers receiving calls for the No. 32 overall pick, which originally belonged to the Bears before they swapped it for Chase Claypool.

“This is something we talk about every year, a team at 33 — this year at 32 — getting calls, rarely does it actually materialize. This could be a year where it materializes. There are a lot of players that teams thought would be first-round picks who are still available,” Rapoport said Friday afternoon. “Late, late, late last night as the first round was winding down, there were a couple teams who were at least talking about trading up: the Atlanta Falcons were one, the Titans, the Bears. The Rams had some conversations. There are going to be several teams calling the Steelers tonight, trying to figure out, ‘Can they get the right price to come up to 32?'”

The Bears currently hold two second-round selections (Nos. 53 and 61) along with the first pick of the third round for Friday’s second night of the draft. They also own a pair picks in each the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds, giving them plenty of draft capital to potentially consider making a move into the upper half of the second round.

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Bears Could Justify Trading Up for Right Prospect

The Bears took care of one of their biggest roster needs on the opening night of the draft, selecting a plug-and-play right tackle in Darnell Wright who should be able to improve the pass protection in front of quarterback Justin Fields. Now, instead of having to cross their fingers and hope that one of Dawand Jones, Cody Mauch and Matthew Bergeron falls to them at No. 53, they have the freedom to sit back and see which defensive prospects naturally land within their range.

Unless, of course, one specific prospect tempts Chicago into moving up.

If the Bears decide to move up into the 30s of the second round, Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz would make a lot of sense as the target. He is considered by some to be the best center in the 2023 class and would give the Bears a Day 1 starter at the biggest remaining question mark on their offensive line for next season. Chicago would also have to love the long-term prospects of adding Schmitz in the sense that it would give them three starting offensive linemen (including two tackles) who are in the first two years of their rookie contracts. That’s an upgrade in every sense of the word.

Another early-to-mid-30s target for the Bears could be Northwesterm’s Adetomiwa Adebawore. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound defensive lineman has the potential to be a bit of a hybrid piece at the NFL level, but he would give the Bears an immediate option for the coveted three-technique role in Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 defense — a role he calls the “engine” of his run defense. The Bears also sent a heavy contingent of scouts to the Wildcats’ pro day and hosted Adebawore for a local visit, meaning they’ve done their homework.

While it remains to be seen what the cost of trading up would be, Bears fans should be happy if their team walks away with one of Schmitz or Adebawore by the end of Day 2.

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Rams Could Also Be a Trade-Up Target for Bears

The Steelers, with the first pick of the second day, are bound to get plenty of attention from teams that have identified a guy they love and want to give no other team the chance to take him off the board. Another sensible trade-up target for the Bears, though, could be the Los Angeles Rams and their 36th overall draft pick.

The Rams’ No. 36 overall pick is their first of the draft, having given up their 2023 first-rounder in their trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford a few offseasons ago, but eight of their remaining 10 picks are in the fifth round or later with no selection in the fourth. For a team that could be stumbling toward a rebuild, they might prefer to pick up an extra Day 2 or premium Day 3 selection — say the Bears’ first pick of the fourth round at No. 103 overall — in exchange for sliding back in the second round.

The second round of the 2023 NFL draft begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 28.

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