Third round
Even though the Bears don’t possess a third-round pick, they do have the ability to change that by simply trading down a few spots in the first-round.
When trading down to potentially acquire a third-round pick, there are a few teams that come to mind: the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills.
Both teams have looked hard at quarterbacks all throughout the offseason and the signings they’ve made in free agency prove that they don’t seem to have a long-term solution for the games most important position.
The Cardinals signed Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon, while the Bills added former Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron in free agency on a two-year deal.
Let’s look at two potential trade scenarios for the Bears.
The Cardinals fifteenth overall pick is worth 1050 points, while the Bears eighth overall pick is worth 1400 points. Being a difference of 350 points, in order to complete a deal, the two teams would primarily trade third and fourth-round picks, while swapping first-round picks.
Cardinals receive: 2018 First-round pick (8th overall) and 2018 fourth-round pick (116th overall)
Bears receive: 2018 First-round pick (15th overall), 2018 Third-round pick (79th overall), 2018 Fourth-round pick (97th overall)
While most would say that a trade like this is somewhat lopsided, it actually works out for both teams. Arizona gets to move up seven spots on the draft board and draft its future franchise quarterback, while the Bears get a bevy of draft picks.
The biggest problem with such a trade is that the Cardinals have not drafted a quarterback in the first-round since 2006 and have stuck with mainly veteran quarterbacks as their starters. Unless they view thirty-year-old Sam Bradford as their long-term quarterback for the next three or four years, general manager Steve Keim won’t make such a trade.
The Buffalo Bills, on the other hand, are a different story. The team has already reportedly been very aggressive in terms of hoping to trade up and draft a franchise quarterback.
Bills get: 2018 first-round pick (8th overall)
Bears get: 2018 first-round picks (12th overall and 22nd overall) and 2018 third round pick (65th overall)
A fair trade for both teams. What makes the Bills an ideal trading partner is the amount of draft capital they have. With six picks within the top one hundred, the Bills move up and are in a prime position to select a guy like Josh Rosen who they seem to be very high on, while the Bears move just four spots down the draft board and acquire two-first round picks and an early third-round pick.