2 realistic scenarios the Bears fans should be happy about the 9th pick

Scenario No.2: The Bears will trade down and pick Byron Murphy III

The Bears could definitely use Rome Odunze even though it is not a position of need. But so could other teams. And there will be teams ahead of the Bears who could play spoiler.

Marvin Harrison Jr could be taken by the Arizona Cardinals at 4. Then, the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants could take either Malik Nabers or Odunze back-to-back at 5 and 6.

The only hope for the Bears is that the Cardinals will trade down and allow a team that wants a quarterback to move up. If that happens, the Chargers will start the run of the top 3 wide receivers, followed by the New York Giants at 5 and 6.

The two teams ahead of the Bears, the Tennessee Titans at 7 and the Atlanta Falcons at 8 do not need a wide receiver. However, they could entertain offers from teams that desperately need a wide receiver like Buffalo and Jacksonville, and eliminate the Bears from picking whoever is left out of the top receiver.

If all the top receivers are gone by the time the Bears pick at 9, they could be picking the first defensive player. However, if the Falcons stay at 8 and do not trade out, they could be the ones picking a defensive player first.

The interesting thing is, both the Falcons and the Bears could be looking at the same player. That is
Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy III. In fact, one draft expert believes the Bears are willing to take him with their 9th pick.

The Bears' interest in Murphy was strengthened further when Ryan Poles spoke to media abouthis preference for an interior pass rusher than an edge rusher because it is much shorter to get to the quarterbacks.

Murphy III is rumored to be getting a serious consideration from the Falcons at 8 also. But if Murphy is available at 9, Ryan Poles should strongly consider trading down and get at least one Day 2 pick in return. One such team is the New Orleans Saints picking at 14, and have a big need along the offensive line. Their right tackle, Ryan Ramczyk, has been dealing with a cartilage loss in his knee, and his future is in serious doubt.

With a strong crop of offensive tackles like Penn State's Olu Fashanu, Alabama's JC Latham, Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga, and Washington's Tony Fautanu still available by the time Bears pick, the Saints could move up in the top 10 to secure their young tackle in case Ramczyk is forced into retirement before 2024 season.

The Bears could get the Saints' 14th and 45th pick in exchange for the 9th pick and a 4th-round pick(122nd). At 14, Murphy seems like a great value rather than at 9. Plus, the Bears get a second-round pick, and they can use it to draft a wide receiver like Florida's Ricky Pearsall or Georgia's Ladd McConkey.

After trading away picks for players such as Claypool, Montez Sweat, Keenan Allen, and Ryan Bates, the Bears should consider getting picks to increase their odds of adding more talent. Fans should be happy with either scenarios and you can bet so is Ryan Poles.