3 Teams the Chicago Bears should trade back with in the NFL Draft
By Peter Jurich
The Chicago Bears should be wary of trading with the Detroit Lions
In the NFL, there is somewhat of an unwritten rule that prevents teams from trading within the division. But in recent memory, the Lions have ignored this precedent for one reason or another. The Lions moved up from the 32nd selection to the 12th selection in the 2022 draft, as they worked out a deal with the Minnesota Vikings to ultimately select receiver Jameson Williams from Alabama.
Additionally, the Lions traded star tight end TJ Hockenson across the division — again to the Minnesota Vikings. The trade was for a haul of draft selections, while curiously improving the Vikings roster for now and the future.
The Lions have shown in recent years a willingness to not only trade within the division but to trade up in the NFL draft. The Bears may have the opportunity to help the Lions do both in this year’s draft.
However, there are many drawbacks to doing this. First of all, the Lions trading up with the Bears into the top three picks in the draft would almost certainly mean that they are looking at drafting a quarterback. If the Lions did pick a quarterback, not only would he not need to start right away with Jared Goff under contract, but the Lions would have a scary young core in DeAndre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, and Aiden Hutchinson, as well as a rookie quarterback in 2023.
It may not be in the Bears’ best interest to aid in the Lions getting their potential franchise quarterback, especially when they already have so many winning pieces in place. However, for the right price, the Bears could receive many picks for moving back only a few slots.
While the Lions have their own first-round pick, which is currently slotted at 15 overall, they also own the Rams’ first-round pick as a result of the Matthew Stafford trade. The Rams’ pick is currently number four overall. With the Bears at number two, Chicago could trade down and still be practically guaranteed to get either Will Anderson Jr or Jalen Carter — the two most coveted non-quarterback prospects in this year’s draft.
Trading with the Lions may be playing with fire. But if the Bears are able to do it cautiously and confidently, or even potentially get both of Detroit’s first-round picks this year, it might be the move that sets up the team with a good draft selection this year, as well as multiple picks in the near future.