Chicago Bears Mock Draft: Ryan Poles adds another first-rounder, builds up trenches

The Chicago Bears make another trade, moving back in the third

Ryan Poles wasn't able to add any additional picks with this trade, but in this mock draft, he moved back five spots in the third round and up seven spots in the fourth.

Bears Receive
3.80
4.115

Bengals Receive
3.75
4.122

This isn't much of a move, but with the players still on the board, I thought it was worth moving down a little now to move up even more later. The Bears do not have a large number of draft picks, but quality can be even more important at times than quantity. Moving down five in the third round, but up seven in the fourth round is usually better quality.

3.80: Brenden Rice, WR | USC

I am higher on Brenden Rice than many, but I am all for pairing him with Caleb Williams. You can see Rice (and even Tahj Washington) has a good rapport with Williams -- especially on unscripted plays. Rice is a bigger receiver at 6'3" and 205 pounds. Rice had 45 catches for 791 and 12 touchdowns last season. He is a true red zone threat and would make a great WR4 in 2024 with the ability to develop into a WR2/3 in 2025.

Some might find two WRs in a draft with only five picks a bit of overkill now that the team has both DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. Remember, Allen is only here through 2024, and Moore is only under contract through 2025. With the risks associated with Brian Thomas, Jr., adding a player like Rice brings some extra assurances for the team moving forward.