Would you rather the Chicago Bears make which of these draft trades?
The Chicago Bears trade back in this second scenario
Rather than trade up into the first round, Ryan Poles remains patient and waits for the 39th-overall pick to roll around. There are some very solid names on the board still at the time, but Poles decides he’d prefer to add more draft capital. He trades back from 39 to the later part of the second round. While doing so, he gains a fourth-round pick in the process.
Here is the trade:
Moving back meant the Chicago Bears had no chance at getting George Pickens, but Christian Watson was available at No. 48. With pick No. 56, the Chicago Bears select offensive guard, Cole Strange.
Strange would be an instant starter at right guard on this current roster. He fits a zone running scheme perfectly and is worth taking at this point in the draft. Like Trevor Penning in the first scenario, Strange has a nastiness to his blocking. He never seems to take a play off and continues his attack until the whistle. Strange is explosive off the ball and is able to move laterally well. This will serve him well in the projected outside zone running scheme Luke Getsy is installing.
After selecting Nicholas Petit-Frere in the third round (71st-overall), the Chicago Bears finally turn to the defensive side of the football. Ryan Poles and the Bears select Cincinnatti cornerback, Cobe Bryant. Bryant will make for a solid outside corner prospect. He has amazing height and length at 6’2″ and 185 pounds. He has solid speed and shows good football intelligence while in both man and zone coverage. Bryant has exceptional ball skills and would fit in with the HITS mentality very well. In college, he finished with seven interceptions, 18 passes defended and three forced fumbles.
Conclusion:
If I were to vote on which trade scenario I prefer, I am leaning toward trade scenario No. 1. If I am being honest, I like both outcomes from both mock draft scenarios. Trevor Penning would make a great addition on the left side of the offensive line. That said, I believe in Nicholas Petit-Frere too and landing him in the third while adding a fourth-round pick that landed Cobe Bryant is fantastic as well. This is a tough one, but Penning is a lock for me on the left side and the offensive line should instantly become an advantage instead of a question mark.
Haskell Garrett in the fifth round isn’t as good of a draft pick as Cobe Bryant in the fourth, but Trevor Penning and Garrett make for a better draft-pick combination in my opinion than Cole Strange and Cobe Bryant.