Chicago Bears: Draft strategy for the 2021 NFL Draft
By Joseph Herff
With the Chicago Bears now focusing on next season, hitting in the NFL Draft will be crucial to this season as they have a first-round pick for the first time since 2018 when they selected second-team All-Pro Roquan Smith. They now can attempt to get a star in the first round after trading away 2019 and 2020 first-round picks for Khalil Mack.
The Bears have multiple holes this offseason and they can have even more if they have to cut some players to open up more cap space, which they most likely will. They don’t have a great amount of money to pay more players this free agency, so hitting on this draft is very crucial.
Some of these holes can be filled with cheap players like wide receiver depth, safety depth, and more, but the Bears need to take their calculated shots in this draft class and be smart about it. If they aren’t, it could destroy their season leading to the Bears likely cleaning house and getting a fresh start.
With their pick being 20th overall, the Bears are near the middle of the first round. It all depends on how the draft falls, but depending on what happens, the Bears either need to trade up, stay put, or trade back to acquire more picks and capital. Here’s what they should do in each scenario and why they should do it.