The Case to Trade Down from 8

What should the Chicago Bears do with the 8th overall pick? The best bet might be to trade down.

We conclude the “Case for” series for the Bears selection with the idea that perhaps the Chicago Bears should trade down from eight as the best potential option. For a valuable trade down to occur, the Bears would need a QB, most likely Josh Rosen, to fall to the eighth overall pick.

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In any other instance, if the four QBs are off the board, there is most likely not another prospect that will be available at eight that will have a team hungry enough to give up draft capital to move up to get him. Bradley Chubb would be that guy, but if he is somehow at eight, the Bears shouldn’t trade, the Bears should select him. Is Saquon Barkley is there, it’s doubtful that a team would trade up to select a running back. If Quenton Nelson is there, it’s doubtful that a team would trade up to select an interior lineman.

If the 4 QBs and Chubb, Barkley and Nelson are gone, there probably isn’t a reason for the Bears to trade down. The Bears would have the opportunity to select the best player after the hyped seven and could go in a multitude of directions, but if Rosen is available, there’s a good chance that a team (Miami, Arizona, New England) might just call Ryan Pace and ask him if he’s willing to trade down.

Ryan Pace has said that he likes moving around to his benefit and moving up to make sure he gets the player he wants (Leonard Floyd, Mitch Trubisky) or trade down if he feels he can get his player later and pick up more draft capital along the way (Adam Shaheen). But in this case, Pace has sounded a little less eager about the idea of trading down.

Pace has said he really likes eight players in this draft that they will be targeting in the first round but doesn’t see any way to get both. That doesn’t mean he won’t trade down, Pace has never been afraid of picking up draft capital, and while the Bears roster is the best it’s been in years, it still has holes.

Chicago Bears

If Rosen is there at 8, the Bears could trade down with New England and potentially get picks 23, 31 and a late third rounder (95). If they trade with Arizona they could pick up Arizona’s second-round pick (47). If they trade with Miami, it would probably be for their third-round pick (73).

If the Bears are targeting eight guys, they know for a fact that they can still get one of them at 11 and pick up a third-round pick, something they don’t currently have. That makes a lot of sense for Chicago. The trade with Arizona is also tempting because the Bears would pick up a second-round pick (where the draft may be the strongest) and most likely one of their eight guys are still sitting there at 15, but no guarantees. The most capital would be the trade with New England, but almost certainly, none of Pace’s eight guys will be there at that point.

The Bears still need contributing players at multiple positions, so picking up another quality pick or two (or three) along the way does make a lot of sense. Pace isn’t afraid to move up or down if he feels it benefits his team. Depending on how the first seven picks go, a trade down might absolutely be the best option for Chicago.