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Mock Trade Nets Caleb Williams Explosive Receiver Help
Several late mock drafts have focused on the Bears trading back with the ninth pick and finding receiver or edge rush help.
One of the draft day theories being put forth is how Bears GM Ryan Poles would like another pick or two.
A trade back would be wise. Considering they have only four picks, it might make for a small rookie minicamp. There are always undrafted free agents.
The latest mock drafts to come out found the Bears ways to get the Bears one extra pick and in one case they still came away with a top wide receiver with their second pick after taking Caleb Williams No. 1.
Pro Football Focus put out its full-length mock draft with teams' picks made by different writers or analysts. J.T. Bonomo made the picks and moves for the Bears, and he made a trade back to No. 15 with the L.A. Raiders at No. 13 in order to get an extra pick for this year and also still be in position for a worthwhile pick.
At No. 13, the receiver he found for the Bears was from LSU but not Malik Nabers. It was Brian Thomas Jr., who ran a faster 40 time at the combine (4.33) than Nabers ran at the LSU pro day. Thomas led the country in touchdown catches last year with 17.
The catch to his trade was that while the Bears gained a second-round pick so they could get needed talent from Round 2 at another position, they had to give up a draft pick from 2023. They had to trade No. 9 and a third-rounder from 2025 to the Raiders for the 15th pick in Round 2 and the second-rounder.
Once accomplished, Bonomo has the Bears turn around and pick a tackle instead of a needed edge rusher. He took Jordan Morgan of Arizona at No. 44 overall. Later, they came up with a defensive lineman at No. 75 in versatile Brandon Dorlus from Oregon. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein calls Morgan another "Charles Leno."
"With 160 career pressures, he'll provide solid depth with the athletic upside to become an impact player," Bonomo wrote.
This is true but Bonomo has the Bears passing on Dallas Turner, who fell in this mock to 16th, then he took the second-round tackle. He could have taken wide receiver Xavier Worthy, he of 4.21-second 40-yard fame. Turner and Worthy look better than Thomas and a second-round tackle.
After Dorlus, the Bears closed at 122 with safety Cole Bishop from Utah, who meets a need for someone to develop as Eddie Jackson's replacement due to questions about age for Kevin Bynard and the quality of the backups.
Ironically, NFL.com's Erik Edholm has the Bears trading back in a mock draft as well. They go to 15th in a deal with the Colts, who covet Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
The irony? The Bears still get the chance for Turner in this mock draft after trading back to No. 15, but they take him.
"Turner would be a good complement to Montez Sweat and give Chicago a boost to the pass rush, which is one of their bigger defensive questions heading into the draft," Edholm wrote.
Edholm didn't detail what the Bears got in return other than a Day 2 pick. He didn't need to say because his mock draft only goes one round.
Another mock draft for only one round addresses the trade-back issue and agrees it's a probability. It's the mock Ari Meirov did for The33rdTeam.com.
"Once the Bears come back on the clock at No. 9 they will only have three picks remaining in this draft, so they're another team that would make sense to trade down," Meirov wrote.
After saying it made sense, he didn't trade. He had the Bears pick Washington receiver Rome Odunze.
"If they stick, it's difficult to see them passing on Rome Odunze, who would join DJ Moore and Keenan Allen," Meirov wrote. "That would be pretty good company for Caleb Williams."
It would, and if Odunze hadn't come off the board it would probably make more sense to stay put and make the selection. The Bears do need an edge but not at the risk of taking one instead of Odunze. The top three receivers are better in this draft than the best defensive player.
CBS's Ryan Wilson also was looking for one of those three edge rushers in his latest mock draft but they were all picked. Instead of a trade back, they simply did what made sense to fill a need and drafted an edge rusher. However, it wasn't Turner.
Wilson had the Bears taking defensive end Jared Verse from Florida State.
"Verse is our No. 1 edge prospect and with the top three wide receivers already gone, the Bears do the smart thing and get a bookend to pass rusher Montez Sweat," Wilson wrote. "Trading down will also be a consideration on Thursday, but again, if I'm a team looking for a QB, I'm not trading up at this point."
Trades could be hard to come by for the Bears at No. 9 because the Vikings might be able to get the fourth quarterback simply by staying put.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
