Bear Digest

Similar to 'the Aaron Rodgers Trade'

Huge mock deal involving Bears provides Chicago with the passing connection no one could anticipate.
Gene Chamberlain|
Similar to 'the Aaron Rodgers Trade'
Similar to 'the Aaron Rodgers Trade'

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Chicago Bears

The offseason officially begins once the Super Bowl ends.

It didn't take long into the offseason before the newest mock drafts came rolling in, and one follows the report from the Tribune about the Bears hoping for trade interest in Justin Fields.

NFL.com veteran draft analyst Chad Reuter churned out a three-round mock draft and has Justin Fields being traded to the New England Patriots in a shocking move all around.

Reuter has the Bears taking Caleb Williams first in his mock draft and dealing Fields to New England along with their ninth pick in Round 1, a fourth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick for New England's pick at No. 3 overall.

So the Bears would be drafting Williams, and then with the third pick in the draft they would take wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

There have to be many Bears fans who would like to shake Reuters' hand after this mock or kiss him. Essentially, they've moved up six spots in the draft and given up Justin Fields, a fourth-rounder and fifth-rounder to do it. 

Landing Harrison and Williams in the top three picks and giving up only Fields and the ninth pick, along with a couple of Day 3 picks would be a complete coup for GM Ryan Poles.

Reuters adds the deal would be, "...similar to the trade between the Packers and Jets for Aaron Rodgers last year."

Maybe he's right in form but getting the third pick of the draft in a deal for Fields would be pretty incredible even if you're giving up two mid-round draft picks and the ninth pick.

The Bears wouldn't be picking again until No. 75 in Round 3 after this deal and Reuters has them ignoring a need for edge rusher or center and drafting Theo Johnson, Penn State's tight end after they've already paid Cole Kmet $50 million over four years.

Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema has a huge trade in his updated draft but not involving the Bears. It's Denver moving up to No. 2. Sikkema has the Bears down for Williams and then a receiver at No. 9, but not Odunze. It's LSU's Malik Nabers.

"Nabers’ movement skills are rare—he is a master separator in his releases and his routes," Sikkema wrote. "He reminds me of how Antonio Brown could constantly create a throwing window from any route."

The post-Super Bowl period is when all of the first-round order is finally known and Luke Easterling's latest first-round mock draft for SI.com came out shortly after the Super Bowl ended with the Bears taking Caleb Williams No. 1 and wide receiver Rome Odundze of Washington with the ninth pick.

Senior NFL Draft Writer Connor Livesay of The33rdteam.com quickly put out a post-Super Bowl mock of three rounds with the same two picks as Easterling did for SI.com

Livesay quotes Brian Uralcher when he announces the selection of Caleb Williams.

"As Brian Urlacher said last week on Radio Row, 'if you're still asking if the quarterback is the guy after Year 3, he's probably not,' " Livesay wrote.

At No. 75 in Round 3, Livesay has the Bears addressing the edge rush with Troy's undersized Javon Solomon (6-1/2, 247). Although they need another edge rusher, it's more likely coach Matt Eberflus' scheme dictates a bigger player to be more stout against the run than this.

CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson has the Bears going for Williams and Odunze in Round 1, as they join the parade of QBs and wide receivers being taken in Round 1 of this mock.

CBS has added Tom Fornelli's mock to their mock draft page to make it four drafters like in the past. His picks for the Bears are the same in Round 1 as Wilson. Josh Edwards has the Bears thinking edge rush at No. 9 with UCLA's Laiatu Latu.

However, not all of CBS' mock drafts are in agreement on Williams. Chris Trapasso's take is the Bears trading down from No. 1 so Washington can renite Williams with former USC quarterbacks coach Kliff Kingsbury, the new Commanders offensive coordinator.

For the Bears, he has a quarterback at No. 2 rather than Harrison. He has them drafting LSU's Jayden Daniels, followed by LSU's Malik Nabers in an all-Tigers first-round passing combination. 

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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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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