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Ranking the Spots Where Bears GM Ryan Poles Is Most Likely to Trade

The Bears' GM has shown in the past he has no problem moving up or down, but in this draft some positions provide better points for deals than others.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ryan Poles finds trading easy to do on draft day, whether he's gone up or down.
Ryan Poles finds trading easy to do on draft day, whether he's gone up or down. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Chicago Bears video

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Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles has made more than 30 trades since coming on board in the offseason of 2022.

Trading during the draft has become like breathing is for him. It’s almost automatic as he tries to maximize picks and position himself for more picks.

This year's draft presents the Bears with problems in terms of selection order. Past trades have deprived them of vital picks at various points in this draft. Other trades have provided ample opportunity early in the draft.

As a result, there are spots where the Bears appear more likely to trade and less likely.

Here's a ranking of the most likely spots to expect Poles to make deals in this draft.

1. No. 25

Eight of the last nine 25th picks in the draft got traded. It's a good place to move back in this draft. Because of specific needs the Bears have at particular positions, they could also take a later pick in a package, or they could jump up to insure they get a player they identified as essential. For instance, if all of the safeties are going to be gone, they could easily move up into range to take one. This seems less likely, though.

Moving up for a defensive tackle in Round 1 doesn't seem to make sense because of the quality of those involved. Nor does moving up for a defensive end, unless they had their hearts set on Keldric Faulk or Akheem Mesidor.

Faulk? You just can't find enough of those defensive ends who make 10 career sacks in Round 1. Mesidor? He might age out before the draft.

The players available just above them for this draft aren't unique enough talents that they would want to pursue them by giving up a draft pick. The best option is moving back because talent level so late in Round 1 is similar at many positions to what they would get in in the top half of Round 2.

The real trick to trading back is finding someone willing to give up an early Round 2 pick to move into the first round. It usually takes an available quarterback for a team to want to make that kind of move up, and it's not clear there is one anyone would trade up out of Round 2 to get.

2. No. 89

Because they have two second-round picks, the Bears don't necessarily need a late third-round pick. They have a real draft gap later on that would be good to plug and doing it by trading the third-round pick would work. They pick 129th in Round 4 and then not again until 239 in Round 7.

The ideal move would be to trade back out of Round 3 and obtain picks that help to plug that 110-pick gap. What's another third-round pick when you already have a pair of second-round picks, anyway?

If they move back 12 spots out of the Round 3 pick, they are in Day 3 and Round 4. Their fourth-round pick would be way back in the round at 129, so another pick early in Round 4 would be better balance.

Especially in the Bears' case, what's another third-round pick aside from a chance to take another bust, anyway? Kiran Amegadjie, Zacch Pickens and Velus Jones Jr. were the Bears' third-round picks under Poles. Amegadjie is the only one still in Chicago, and he hasn't found a position to play.

It's not just Poles. The only Bears third-round pick who succeeded since wide receiver Earl Bennett in 2008 was running back David Montgomery in 2019.

Third-round Bears jinx

GM Ryan Poles

2024 T Kiran Amegadjie

2023 DT Zacch Pickens

2022 WR Velus Jones Jr.

GM Ryan Pace

2019 RB David Montgomery

2016 DL Jonathan Bullard

2015 C Hroniss Grasu

GM Phil Emery

2014 DL Will Sutton

2012 S Brandon Hardin

GM Jerry Angelo

2011 DB Chris Conte

2010 S Major Wright

2009 DT Jarron Gilbert

2009 WR Juaquin Iglesias

3. No. 129

This would be a spot to trade back if they did keep the No. 89 pick. Even though dealing back would widen their gap after No. 89, it would allow them to come up with possible fifth- and sixth-round picks and balance out their final three rounds on Day 3.

Trying to move up for the Bears in Round 4 would be very difficult because all they have after that pick as compensation are two seventh-round selections. Those late picks rarely pan out the way they did last year with Kyle Monangai.

4. No. 60

The two second-round picks at 57 and 60 are not good picks for trading back because, as we've seen, the Bears need little invitation to foul up third-round picks.

Most likely, if they traded back they would be taking a third-round pick and something else.

The best thing to do if they wanted to move up in Round 2 would be to package a third-rounder with one of their second-round selections. The problem with this approach is simply reducing the number of Day 2 picks they have.

Making a move here isn't unprecedented. They did it last year when they packaged the 41st pick, a third-round pick and a seventh-rounder to get the 56th and 62nd picks and take Ozzy Trapilo and Shemar Turner. The year before they traded up to get the 56th pick and draft Tyrique Stevenson, giving up the 61st pick and a fifth-rounder in the process.

Of the two second-round picks likely to be a trade, the 60th appears more likely because they would have taken a player they already targeted only three picks earlier at 57.

5. No. 57

This would be something they'd trade in a move up in Round 2, probably packaged with their fourth-rounder or even third-rounder. Again, it's a move that loses them a valued pick later, so they need to be very sure about this move.

6. Seventh-rounders

At 239 and 241, the Bears have picks they could try to package to move up into Round 6. It's fairly common for this to happen, but again, they'd be reducing their number of selections.

7. Next year

Remember, Poles already traded a fourth-round pick from the next year and traded it away to get a fifth-rounder in the current draft. He did this to draft defensive end Austin Booker. It's another way to address a big gap in the draft.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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