The Chicago Bears are more likely to trade down than trade up in the 2022 NFL draft. The team currently has too many needs, and not enough capital to make it all happen. With that in mind, many may think that means trading down from pick 39. However, there may be a better time.
If the Chicago Bears wanted to trade down, their best bet may be to pick 71.
To start, most studies of the NFL draft show that there is value in the second and third rounds. However, starting around the fourth round it starts to get more into depth players and lottery tickets. With that in mind, there could be chances for teams to look to move up into the third round or add an additional third-round pick.
More than the interest is the realization that this should be the pick that the team wants to move.
Looking at their list of draft picks they select 71st, then do not pick again until 148th. They really have to make the most of that pick because they will have no clue what the board could look like the next time they are on the board.
What the team could do is decide to move back in the third round, and try to pick up some capital between pick 100 and pick 148.
For example, according to the Rich Hill trade chart, the Bears could move back from 71 to 88, and in the process pick up pick 129. They could drop to pick 96, and they would likely be able to add a pick around 115 in the process.
This is a team that would be much better off with 88 and 129 than 71, and that is the type of decision that they could be facing Friday night.
With two picks in the top 50, the Chicago Bears can hang onto those. They could also move back in the third round, possibly hang in the top 100 still, and pick up a draft slot between their third-rounder and their next pick. That would have to be the most ideal scenario.