The Chicago Bears wage the future by seeking to improve the 2021 roster
Ryan Pace is supposed to be on the hot seat. Are we sure that he actually is? No. However, I am going to hope that he and Matt Nagy will not be resigned (both of them should be in the final year of their contracts) should the team flounder again in 2021.
In trying to secure his own future, Ryan Pace sends away some of the team’s future. In this draft trade scenario, Ryan Pace sends a 2022 first-rounder and second-rounder in order to move up to 10th overall and receive an extra third-rounder this year. With this move, it ensures that Ryan Pace has the ability to land four draft prospects within the top 100.
There is not a quarterback for the team to select at 10 this time, however, Jaylen Waddle (my top wide receiver prospect in this draft) falls instead. Giving Andy Dalton a weapon like Jaylen Waddle to pair with Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney and David Montgomery is exactly the type of move Pace will likely make in this draft.
In the second round, I anticipated that the Bears would go with an offensive lineman. Walker Little and Dillon Radunz were both available. Landon Dickerson was the other name I considered. Radunz has the highest draft grade for me and was an easy pick. With the extra third-round pick acquired from Dallas, the top options to select were:
- Jamin Davis, LB – Kentucky
- Dyami Brown, WR – North Carolina
- Jabril Cox, LB – LSU
- Kelvin Joseph, CB – Kentucky
- Jamar Johnson, S – Indiana
- Brady Christensen – OT, BYU
- Aaron Banks, OT – Notre Dame
Out of this group, my top choice would be Kelvin Joseph. This team needs another corner pretty badly and Joseph could help fill that void. Jabril Cox and Aaron Banks would be my other two choices. One name I did not mention that was available was Davis Mills. Mills is my QB8 in this draft and I’d be perfectly okay with taking him here at 75. Instead, I took Kelvin Joseph, but luckily Mills was available still at 83 and I took him there instead.
This means that the Chicago Bears would have walked away with Jaylen Waddle, Dillon Radunz, Kelvin Joseph and Davis Mills. Landing Mills here was huge if he pans out since the team now no longer has a pick within the first two rounds next year. Mills could be the future, or maybe he proves worthy of starting at some point this season (doubtful). What is most exciting here though is that Waddle is a day-one starter and both Radunz and Joseph would quickly compete to start.
This draft might not get as exciting as landing a top quarterback, but I guarantee you that with this outcome, the Chicago Bears could push for a playoff spot once again this year.