The NFL Draft is exciting because absolutely anything can happen. That's even truer for a team with a new administration at the helm and no track record to help anticipate their moves.
John Fox may heave several years of experience as a head coach in the NFL but Ryan Pace is a first-time general manager for the Chicago Bears. The Bears, coming off a wildly disappointing 5-11 season, are hoping for a quick turn around and it all starts with tomorrow's draft. So what is Chicago brass thinking?
"New Bears general manager Ryan Pace has spent his entire NFL career working for the Saints, and while there's no guarantee he'll be as aggressive about trading up as [Saints GM Mickey] Loomis has been, the apple often doesn't fall farm from the tree," Grantland's Bill Barnwell wrote. "If Pace falls in love with a player who isn't likely to make it form no. 4 to no. 7, it wouldn't be shocking to see him send a pair of picks to Oakland to nab his man."
The Raiders have said recently that they are open to trading down in the draft and acquiring more picks. Given the state of their roster, that isn't the worst of ideas. But which players would entice the Bears to move up?
"It depends on who goes third," Barnwell wrote. "If the Jaguars take [Dante] Fowler, Pace could justify trading up to grab [Leonard] Williams, who would give new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio another toy to play with in Chicago's rebuilt front seven. If the Jaguars take Williams, Pace could move for [Amari] Cooper or [Kevin] White as a replacement for Brandon Marshall, knowing that one or both could be gone by the time the Bears pick."
The Bears may still have a shot at White if they stay put at No. 7. But if Cooper or Williams is their target then a trade up will probably be necessary. This is all just a hypothetical situation at this point but it's worth considering.
What do you think, Bears fans? Should Chicago stay where they are or try and trade into the top five?
