Most of the talk surrounding the Bears’ offseason plans is revolving around them having the #1 pick in the draft. The majority pretty much agrees that Chicago needs to go with Caleb Williams with the first selection. However, there appears to be more mystery surrounding the 9th pick which in a way makes this pick more interesting.
Before we determine who the Bears might go with at 9, we have to figure out who probably will be off the board when the Bears go on the clock. The draft will likely start with three (Williams, Daniels, Maye) straight QB selections. Marvin Harrison Jr. will go top 5 and potentially Nabers/Odunze. The Titans have a clear need at LT and would be a good fit for Joe Alt. The Falcons invested heavily into their offense in FA with the additions of Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney. These signings paired with London, Pitts, and Bijan give the impression that they will take the first defensive player in the draft, likely Dallas Turner.
The Giants are the major wild card in this draft. Do they go quarterback and take JJ McCarthy??? They gave Daniel Jones a terrible contract and brought in Drew Lock in FA, so I would be somewhat surprised if they went this route. Could they go offensive tackle after having the worst o-line in the league last year? Yes they could, but they currently have the second highest paid OT in the league in Andrew Thomas and signed 3 tackles in the offseason, so this seems unlikely. While the WR room in New York isn’t bad, they are in need of a true #1 option for whoever lines up behind center next year and onward. For this reason I think they take one of the top 3 receivers in this draft.
Now we get to the Bears at 9. Three QBs, 3 WRs, and the best OT and Edge are off the board. After the moves they’ve made so far in FA, the biggest need for Chicago is an Edge to play opposite of Montez Sweat. This is an underrated Edge class that is being overshadowed by the QB, WR, and OT class. While there isn’t a “Will Anderson” of this draft, there are several players with first round grades that the Bears could jump at.
If the Bears get to this position, they should trade back in the draft and take an edge. Chop Robinson is my favorite edge in this draft and has been going in the back half of many mock drafts. However, if the Bears came away with Verse or Latu I wouldn’t be mad either. This would also help the Bears recoup some draft capital which is crucial as they currently only have 4 draft picks in 2024. I have no idea what the return would be if they trade back the 9th pick. However, the further back they go, the more they get in return. The question is will there be a team further back in the draft that’s willing to trade all of the way up to 9? Probably not. Poles might have to trade back multiple times to get in the 20s if that’s what he wants to do. He traded last year’s 1st round pick twice, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he took a similar approach in ‘24. Either way the Bears need picks and an edge, so if Poles can come away with both I’d be impressed.