What will the Bears do with their other first-round pick? Here are the trade, prospect options for No. 9

What will the Bears do with their other first-round pick? Here are the trade, prospect options for No. 9 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

With the No. 1 pick, the Bears have a franchise-altering decision on their hands. To either stick with Justin Fields or draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick will alter their franchise, whichever path they decide.

But what will the Bears do with the No. 9 pick? At minimum, like the No. 1 pick, they’ll have several routes to take, should they choose to either use the pick on a prospect or trade it elsewhere.

Let’s mull over all of their options.

Draft a prospect

Let’s scratch off the most likely action the Bears take with the No. 9 pick — using it.

What do they need most? A wide receiver, an edge rusher or a left tackle? All of those positions will be stocked with blue-chip prospects at the No. 9 pick. The only thing left to do is pick one of them.

In NBC Sports Chicago Alex Shaprio’s most recent mock draft, he chalked up Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton with the No. 9 pick.

“The Bears loaded up at defensive tackle last year with Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, but the best defensive lines in the NFL come at you in waves. If the team opts not to bring back Justin Jones, they’ll need to reload the position. Newton is a dynamic three-tech who can help plug up holes in the run game and create pressure in the pass game. His eight sacks were tied for second among interior defensive linemen. His 15.4% pass rush win rate was tied for eighth among interior linemen with at least 100 pass rush snaps. For his efforts, Newton won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.”

In NBC Sports Chicago Glynn Morgan’s most recent mock draft — in which, he mocked the Bears trading the No. 1 pick to the Commanders — he selected UCLA edge Laiatu Latu for the Bears’ No. 9 pick.

“Standing at a robust six-foot-four and 265 pounds, Latu is a tremendous pass rusher with good acceleration and closing speed. He finished the 2023 campaign as…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-other-first-round-pick-011622710.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-02-07 01:16:22

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