2018 NFL Draft: What might the Bears do in April?

The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears are both looking at top five draft picks when the 2018 NFL Draft rolls around. There is still a lot of football left to sort this all out, but given how things have gone, both will be picking high in the spring.

Both teams also will likely not be part of the groups picking a quarterback in the first round. The Bears traded up to draft Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick last year, while the 49ers traded a second round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo a little over a month ago. We don’t know if either will end up being a true franchise quarterback, but it’s early enough in the process that neither likely will draft a quarterback on day one in April.

This also means both teams can address a lot of different needs or even potentially trade down. If the Bears pick behind the 49ers, they could still impact what the 49ers do up higher. If a team thinks they can get a much better deal from the Bears for a move up, they might hold off dealing with the 49ers. It’s all hypotheticals, but a lot will go into what would be high priced trades.

In the meantime, I chatted with Windy City Gridiron writer Jeff Berckes to get his thoughts on what the Bears might do next April. Here’s what he had to say.

Ideally the Bears will be able to trade down and get more picks to help elevate the talent level of the team. That’s generally what everyone wants every year – trade down and get more picks! But let’s just say that they can’t find a willing trade partner – where will they go with a pick that high? I can see Pace drafting a complement to Leonard Floyd and investing in another pass rusher. He’s shown a willingness to put a premium at that position and it would make sense given the lack of talent at OLB on this roster. If I’m putting a bet down, it’s a pass rusher – defensive end or OLB.

An argument can be made to take a top corner to help solidify the back end of the defense. The Bears have seemingly found an answer at the safety positions with Adrian Amos and Eddie Jackson, but upgrades in talent at the corner position would be welcome. This is a squad that swung and missed at multiple free agent options last year, including AJ Bouye. Instead, the Bears settled for Prince Amukamura and the disappointing Marcus Cooper.

It’s also clear that they need wide receivers to help Trubisky out, but with the Kevin White pick still on the roster…man that would be a tough sell in this city. I would hope that free agency and maybe the second round pick would be aimed at helping at WR position.