Chicago Bears: Draft strategy for the 2021 NFL Draft
By Joseph Herff
Trading back could be the smartest option
If the quarterbacks are all taken in the top 10, then the Bears should trade back. Why? Because they need more capital. With this deep offensive tackle class, the Bears could easily trade back and still select a star offensive tackle like Jalen Mayfield in the first round or grab Mac Jones as their quarterback of the future.
This would also allow the Bears to get more capital. For example, if the Bears traded back from 20 to 26 with the Cleveland Browns, the Bears could acquire their 26th overall pick and another third-round pick as well. This gives the Bears more shots to correct their other minor issues like center, wide receiver, safety, cornerback, and inside linebacker.
A great scenario would then be to take Jones in the first round at 26th overall and then take Liam Eichenberg in the second round to protect him. Then, the Bears would be going into the third round with two selections to replace Allen Robinson, then take the best player available to help either free up cap space or upgrade at either center or safety.
Next. 5 potential landing spots for Mitch Trubisky. dark
Regardless, Pace needs to hit on this NFL draft to save his job. He already did extremely well in the 2021 NFL Draft finding an instant-star in Jaylon Johnson, a tight end for the future in Cole Kmet, and a late-round gem in Darnell Mooney. He got all of that without a first-round pick, third-round pick, or fourth-round pick. Now, he needs to ace this draft too.