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Bears Trading Up for a WR?

Originally posted on NFL Draft on SI | By Luke Easterling | Last updated Mar 5, 2024 11:54 PM ET

Most of the buzz surrounding the Chicago Bears heading into the 2024 NFL Draft is centered on the No. 1 pick, and rightly so.

The quarterback debate still rages on, even though it seems more and more likely that the Bears will be using that top pick on USC's Caleb Williams, and finding a trade partner for current starter Justin Fields.

But it's easy to forget in all those conversations that Chicago also has another top-10 pick in this year's draft, as they currently own the No. 9 selection.

While it's possible the Bears could move down from that spot in order to load up on additional picks, there's momentum building around the idea that they could actually move up the board, targeting one of the three elite wide receiver prospects in this year's class:

Both mock drafts by @dpbrugler and @Jordan_Reid have the #Bears taking Caleb Williams at No. 1 and trading up for a WR.

It makes sense. Every team in that 5-8 range is a threat to take Nabers or Odunze. If they want to secure their guy, trading up could be a realistic option.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) March 5, 2024

Even in a loaded receiver class that has impressive depth, there's also a strong argument to be made that Washington's Rome Odunze and LSU's Malik Nabers are still worth trading up for, assuming Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. is long gone.

Trading up for a receiver would be cheaper than moving up for a quarterback, and landing either Odunze or Nabers would give Williams a dynamic duo at receiver along with star D.J. Moore.

When patterns like this emerge coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine, there's usually a reason. Bears fans shouldn't be surprised if their team ends up making a bold move to add another blue-chip playmaker to accelerate their rebuild around their new franchise quarterback.

This article first appeared on NFL Draft on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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