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Schrock’s Bears NFL mock draft 5.0: Ryan Poles makes flurry of trades to support Caleb Williams originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
It’s no secret what the Bears will do when they officially go on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25.
Barring an unforeseen red flag, USC star quarterback Caleb Williams will be the new face of the franchise and first overall selection. That was abundantly clear at the NFL league meetings in Orlando as Bears’ decision-makers tried and failed to show their best poker faces.
That the Bears’ brass flew from Orlando to LSU’s pro day and opted not to meet with star quarterback Jayden Daniels tells you everything you need to know about the direction general manager Ryan Poles is heading at No. 1.
But what comes after is much of an unknown.
The Bears currently have just three more picks in the 2024 draft — Nos. 9, 75, and 122 — to patch up the remaining roster holes.
Poles will unlikely be able to address everything, but his best chance is trading down from No. 9 and acquiring more picks. The Bears also have two second-round picks in 2025 to utilize if they want to borrow from future draft capital.
Poles said the strategy for what the Bears do at No. 9 will depend on several factors. During the final lead-up to the draft, the Bears’ scouts and personnel people will split into three teams and debate the merits of drafting a wide receiver, edge rusher, or offensive tackle with their second first-round pick.
As they have done since Poles arrived, the Bears will put all prospects into different value buckets and then see if one of the “blue” players falls to them at nine before making a decision on a trade down. Internally, the Bears would prefer if one of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, or Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt slid to them. If that doesn’t happen, trading down will become more appealing for Poles.
With the calendar officially flipped to April, here’s the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/schrocks-bears-nfl-mock-draft-181453597.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-04-01 18:14:53
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