Chicago Bears Trade Up for OLB Leonard Floyd

I don’t think anyone expected the Bears to trade up in this draft after all the talk from the front office about stockpiling draft picks and how there were a few more than 11 guys they had top-ten grades on. Maybe it was misdirection by GM Ryan Pace, but instead I think it was gutsy.

The Bears had a player targeted that they wanted and didn’t want to risk losing him to the Giants, who were rumored to be interested in Floyd, just one pick before theirs. The last two seasons the Bears have seen both Aaron Donald and Leonard Williams selected one pick ahead of theirs. What would the Bears defensive look like with those two guys? Pace didn’t want to be left one pick away again this year and made an aggressive move to secure the player he wanted. Well done.

Of course, I had Floyd targeted as well as the best pick for the Bears, so I am a little biased about the selection but am confident that he was the best player available. The Bears gave up the higher of their two fourth round picks (#106 overall) to move up from 11th to 9th and secure Floyd, but I think there was a legitimate shot the Giants would take him at 10th overall.

The Bears stockpiled nine picks for a reason, so they could move up or down as needed. Pace had the stones to use his draft currency to go get the player he wanted. The Bears still have seven picks left over the last six rounds, so there may be more deals to come.

Next: More on Leonard Floyd