(670 The Score) This week, we're looking at the pros and cons of the three paths that Bears general manager Ryan Pace can take in the first round of the NFL Draft: trading up, staying put and moving back. On Tuesday, we looked at the argument for trading up to get a quarterback.
Try as you might, analyzing the Bears' options in the NFL Draft just doesn't have quite the same je ne sais quoi when you're not talking about trading up to get a quarterback. Outside the two dozen or so people who (purposefully!) make it their life's work to analyze every draft outcome, it's hard to fire up the same amount of excitement for the third- or fourth-best tackle going in the bottom half of the first round. Important? Sure. Captivating? I mean, maybe? Mel Kiper certainly thinks so.
So now that I've really sold you on this piece of content, let's talk about that 20th overall pick that the Bears hold. It's in the first round! How exciting. You may remember the first round from 2017, when the Bears picked a quarterback who's no longer on the team – or 2016, when they picked a linebacker who's no longer on the team. Don't forget about 2015, when they picked a wide receiver who's no longer on the team – or 2014, when they picked a cornerback who's no longer on the team. (No wonder fans held on to linebacker Roquan Smith so tightly during the Russell Wilson Trade Rumors era.)
The good news for the Bears is that their roster is so incomplete, so in need of reinforcements, that there are plenty of intriguing options, even at a spot that's been historically short on star talent. That being said, sitting at No. 20 has worked out for plenty of teams, especially in recent history. Lions center Frank Ragnow (2018), Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bowles ('17), receiver Nelson Agholor ('15) and receiver Brandin Cooks ('14) were all picked at No. 20, and they've been productive Pro Bowl-caliber players. Hell, the last time the Bears sat at No. 20, they picked offensive lineman Kyle Long – and that turned out OK, for the most part. The guess here is that Pace and Co. go back to the offensive line on account of, you know, the team needing serious help there. By now you're well aware how deep this offensive line class is, and that strange sensation you're feeling is the Bears actually catching a break. Even without being in play for OL1-3, they'll more-than-likely be able to find Bobby Massie's immediate replacement – or Charles Leno's eventual replacement – on April 29 if they want to. It's an important offseason task to cross off the list because while it was a neat trick in 2020, I'm not sure the Bears calling undrafted guards up from the practice squad and hoping they can block Za'Darius Smith is a foolproof solution in the long run.
There's also a good argument to be made that star receiver Allen Robinson's replacement would be available to the Bears at No. 20, but do you really want to get into that right now?
The downside of staying put is pretty obvious: It's probably not going to make the Bears a whole lot better right now. This is a team that finished 25th in rushing yards per game and 23rd in rushing yards per attempt in 2020. Is the fourth-best tackle in this draft, who will be expected to start immediately, going to dramatically change all of that? One of the few nice things about the NFL Draft is that beggars can be choosers, but it's hard to see a foundational player taken at the end of the round single-handedly pulling the organization out of the quicksand that is an 8-8 record.
And a lot of times, that's fine! Maybe they don't even have to. There's always (I repeat: always) room for average to above-average players in the NFL. But the Bears, operating with an apparent win-now mandate that you'll just have to take a team owner's word on, need more – and given the entirety of Pace's history with first-round picks in Chicago, it's fair to speculate whether staying put is actually the most nerve-wracking option the team has at their disposal. The Bears *can* make some noise at No. 20 – it's just a matter of worrying about whether they actually will. But like they say, seventh time's the charm.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.
