Former Scout Reveals Why The Chicago Bears Must Trade Down From #25
The Chicago Bears haven’t picked in the 20s of a 1st round in the NFL draft since 2013. They managed to snag Kyle Long that year. Since then, it’s been a steady diet of either top 10 picks or no 1st round picks at all. People are curious what Bears general manager Ryan Poles will do. Some wonder if he may wish to trade up, hoping to snag one of the few blue-chip talents in this class. Most believe the team will duplicate what they did last year: stay put at their spot and take the best player on their board.
It’s boring, but you can’t argue with the result from last year. That is how they ended up with Colston Loveland. However, one person believes that would be a mistake. Greg Gabriel is a former scout and scouting director with decades of NFL experience. He’s been evaluating prospects ahead of his draft for weeks. Based on what he is seeing, the Bears won’t have any good options available at #25 overall. Anybody they take will be a reach. The best thing for them to do is work the phones and try to move down.
The Chicago Bears have valid reasons to move down.
For one, they’re operating without any 5th or 6th round picks. It stands to reason Poles might like to find a way to recoup those somehow. Besides that, the team still has multiple starting jobs left in limbo after last month’s purge. They need another safety to replace Jaquan Brisker, another starting linebacker, a left tackle, and help at both edge rusher and defensive tackle. Tackling all of that with just seven picks is difficult. Moving down to acquire one or two more would be helpful. Besides, experts believe there isn’t much difference between a player picked #25 and one picked #35 this year.
It all comes down to how far the Bears would be willing to move down and what they could get in return.
| Year | Team Moving Down | Original Pick | New Pick | What Team Moving Down Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Houston Texans | No. 25 | No. 34 | Picks No. 34, No. 99, and a 2026 3rd-round pick |
| 2024 | Jacksonville Jaguars | No. 17 | No. 23 | 2024 5th-round pick, 2025 3rd- and 4th-round picks |
| 2024 | Dallas Cowboys | No. 24 | No. 29 | 2024 3rd-round pick (No. 73) |
| 2024 | Buffalo Bills | No. 28 | No. 32 | 2024 3rd-round pick (No. 95) and 7th-round pick (No. 221) |
| 2022 | New England Patriots | No. 21 | No. 29 | 2022 3rd-round pick (No. 94) and 4th-round pick (No. 121) |
| 2022 | Baltimore Ravens | No. 23 | No. 25 | 2022 4th-round pick (No. 130) |
| 2021 | New York Giants | No. 11 | No. 20 | 2021 5th-round pick, 2022 1st- and 4th-round picks |
| 2020 | New England Patriots | No. 23 | Out | Picks No. 37 and No. 71 |
| 2020 | Miami Dolphins | No. 26 | No. 30 | 2020 4th-round pick (No. 136) |
| 2019 | Seattle Seahawks | No. 21 | No. 30 | Two 2019 4th-round picks (No. 114 and No. 118) |
Based on recent history, the Bears are likely looking at a 4th-round pick for dropping to the bottom of the 1st round and a 3rd-round pick for slipping to the top of the 2nd round. The latter would give them five total picks on day two of the draft. That would certainly allow them to attack multiple needs in what is considered a sweet spot for this class.
We know this regime isn’t afraid to move around.
Poles was the one who moved down from the #1 overall pick. That took a lot of guts since teams don’t normally do that. If he was willing to sacrifice the most prized selection in any draft, there is no way he’d be queasy about moving down from #25. Everything comes down to who’s available when the clock starts and how many teams might be willing to move up. Often, the best way to work a deal is to have a notable quarterback still available. In this case, we’re likely talking about Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
There could also be interest in one of the wide receivers. Those two positions seem to generate the most action. The Chicago Bears must make sure they’re okay with the possibility of someone on their board not being available once they move down. Recent rumblings suggest the team brass isn’t overly enthusiastic about what their options will be at that spot. That suggests they are quite open to the idea of moving down.