The Chicago Bears make a highly unexpected trade in this full 2024 NFL mock draft

3.89: Bralen Trice, EDGE | Washington

I don't think Bralen Trice lasts until the third round. I have a mid-to-late second-round grade on him. That said, in this simulation, Trice fell to 89 and at this point, he was too good to pass up. He's slightly undersized and that is one reason why he isn't going earlier in the draft. He played well for Washington, turning in eight sacks in 2023 and nine sacks in 2022. What doesn't show up on most stat sheets though are his hurries — he had 53 in 2023 and 46 in 2022.

Trice is 6'4" and 245 pounds. Despite being a little on the lighter side, he loves the physicality of banging heads in the trenches. He has a motor that doesn't quit and I think Matt Eberflus will love adding that to the current defensive line. The downside of Trice is that sometimes his endless effort can cause him to be a little erratic in his technique. It can keep him from connecting in the backfield, but he is still disruptive which can lead to opponents making mistakes.

Trice has also found most of his success while standing upright, and he won't have that luxury in Chicago. He isn't as athletic as some of the other smaller guys in the draft — Dallas Turner and Chop Robinson. Trice has a RAS score of only 7.49, which might not be high enough for the Chicago Bears to actually consider him.

Strengths

• Leadership
• Non-stop motor
• Consistently keeps low pad level and drives underneath opponents
• Excels at stunts in and out of multiple gaps
• Converts speed to power and uses his hands to catch blockers off-guard

Weaknesses

• Hip tightness restricts his ability to bend around the edge
• Needs to develop more countermoves
• Below-average burst off the ball
• Takes poor angles, unnecessarily diving and misses tackles