The Chicago Bears don’t necessarily need to select a wide receiver inside the top 10, but the team has ammo to go get a potentially generational player by moving up just a few spots in the NFL draft.
Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron posted to X on Wednesday, March 26 about the possibility of Chicago trading up from the No. 9 pick in an attempt to land wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“At what point would you [consider] trading up for Marvin Harrison Jr. if you’re the #Bears?” Infante wrote. “I still think he’s drafted as WR1, but let’s say the Cardinals go [Malik] Nabers and the Chargers trade down with a team for [J.J.] McCarthy. Would you give up capital to get MHJ or wait for [Rome] Odunze?”
Some NFL Teams Value Malik Nabers Above Marvin Harrison Jr., Which May Create Opportunity for Bears
GettyWide receiver Malik Nabers of the LSU Tigers.
Infante’s notion that the Bears should move up for a talent like Harrison is actually feasible on several levels.
The Cardinals and the Chargers both have significant need at the receiver position, but if the New England Patriots stand pat at No. 3, one of those two teams can extract a king’s ransom from a squad like the Minnesota Vikings that is desperate to trade into the top-5 for a QB.
Trading up to No. 5 doesn’t guarantee the Vikings a top-four QB prospect, so paying Arizona heavily is the more desirable path for a franchise trying to draft McCarthy, or whichever signal-caller remains in that spot.
That opens up the possibility of Harrison’s availability at No. 5 via a trade with the Chargers. Or, if Los Angeles stays put and drafts a wideout, the New York Giants‘ 6th overall pick could be in play.
That wouldn’t necessarily matter if the Chargers decided to draft Harrison themselves, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that multiple organizations actually believe Nabers is the superior prospect after he posted a 42-inch vertical leap and ran a sub 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the LSU pro day on Wednesday.
“There are some NFL personnel men who believe Malik Nabers is this draft class’ top wideout,” Schefter posted to X.
Bears Could Potentially Trade With 3 Teams and Land Marvin Harrison Jr.
GettyWide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Giants are a dark horse candidate to move up a few spots for a QB but are likely to look at receiver if they hold onto the sixth pick. However, they’re also a team with a lot of needs, and the Bears could put together a deal that might intrigue the Giants enough to listen.
Chicago owns the No. 9 overall pick, which should interest a team like the New Orleans Saints. Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus authored a trade pitch Wednesday, in which the Bears flip pick Nos. 9 and 75 to the Saints for pick Nos. 14, 45 and 168.
If Chicago made that deal, or a similar one, the Bears could turn around and offer the 14th and 45th overall selections to the Giants for pick No. 6, the Chargers for pick No. 5 or the Cardinals for pick No. 4.
Assuming that either the Cardinals or Chargers will trade out of their current position to a team looking for a quarterback, that leaves two receiver-needy franchises selecting between picks 4-6. If the Bears can convince one of those teams to take pick Nos. 14 and 45, Chicago essentially guarantees itself Harrison or Nabers, and could potentially have its choice of the two.
Bears Should at Least Inquire as to Possibility of Trading Up for Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers
GettyWide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
That’s a lot of work and considerable capital to sacrifice if Odunze is there for the Bears at No. 9. However, that he will be is far from a guarantee.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted in his most recent mock draft that Harrison, Nabers and Odunze will come off the board in three consecutive selections between 4-6, landing respectively with the Cardinals, Chargers and Giants. Kiper’s mock is bound to assign players to teams in their current drafting positions, so it doesn’t take into account potential — or even likely — trades.
The point, though, is that the 2024 class boasts elite talent at the receiver position that will be sought after by several organizations. The Bears just traded a fourth-rounder to the Chargers for Keenan Allen, but the idea of pairing quarterback Caleb Williams with a receiver like Harrison might be too tempting for Chicago to pass up.
At the very least, the Bears ought to make a few calls and gauge the possibilities.
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