Chicago Bears’ 2025 draft makeover: trading up vs. trading down vs. staying put

Alan Goldsher | Feb 4, 2025

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles riffing for the media / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Come Draft Day, NFL GMs have to decide between quality and quantity.

Does it make sense for their franchise to use their first round pick on a plug-and-play starter? Or should they trade down and land a small handful of solid rotational players?

For the most part, it’s a situational thing—for instance, the Cincinnati Bengals need to overhaul their defense, so it makes perfect sense for their director of player personnel Duke Tobin to swap their first round pick (17) for a pile of day two capital.

But what about the Chicago Bears?

Banks Holiday or Open for Business?

A multitude of mocks have Bears GM Ryan Poles addressing the offensive line—NFL Mock Draft Database gives them a 40% chance of snatching up Texas tackle Kelvin Banks—but what if they blew off the Longhorn (or whoever lands in their lap at ten) so they could add some second- and/or third-rounders to the mix?

Texas LT Kelvin Banks looking like a top-10 pick by springing a 77-yard touchdown run with an excellent combo up the second-level. pic.twitter.com/tzwuz6Iq0U

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) December 27, 2024

Would Jacksonville be willing exchange their second (36) and third rounders (88 via MIN)—plus maybe a 2026 fourth rounder—for that tenth pick? If that could be a thing, Poles should very much consider the move, as it would give him six of the first 88 picks, and if he can’t build an offensive line with all that capital, he gotsta go.

If Poles did indeed put the ten-spot up for grabs, Carolina might consider giving Chicago their second rounder (57 via LA Rams), fourth rounder (73), and 2026 third rounder, once again giving Poles options galore.

Movin’ On Up

On the other hand, Poles has a couple of appealing second rounders (39 and 41) that could get them a second first round pick.

Maybe Carolina would be down with reacquiring the second rounder they shipped to Chicago in the Caleb Williams/D.J. Moore deal, so Poles could send the Panthers a pair of 2025 seconds, one of their two seventh rounders, and a 2026 third rounder for Carolina’s first rounder (8), which would give Poles the chance to land both Banks and prized running back Ashton Jeanty, an offense-changing haul that would make soon-to-be-sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams exceedingly happy.

Reality Check

What with a young signal caller who needs to legitimize his face-of-the-franchise-ness and an expensive new head coach in Ben Johnson, this has to be the draft of Poles’ life, and getting cute amps up the backfire factor.

Ryan Poles when people start doubting him. pic.twitter.com/aURGPewezv

— BearsMuse (@ChiBearsMuse) February 4, 2025

If Poles is going to make a draft day move, it’ll likely involve some day three capital—as noted, he has a pair of seventh rounders to play with—so don’t expect much Bears splash between April 24 and April 26.