Don’t look now, Bears fans, but that wishful thinking that you’ve cautiously allowed yourself to dream about heading into night one of the 2021 NFL draft might just come true if everything falls into place.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears are among the teams looking to trade up in the first round of Thursday’s draft, and it’s enough to give fans hope that perhaps GM Ryan Pace can make a positive splash in the first round, especially if it involves finally finding a quarterback.
While Rapoport mentioned that offensive linemen could be trade-up targets this year, if Pace is looking to move up in the draft, there’s no doubt it’s in an attempt to land a franchise quarterback.
From our NFL Draft Preview Show: Trade calls are being made, and the #Patriots, #Bears and #Saints are among those making them. QBs are always trade-up targets. This year, O-linemen could be, as well. pic.twitter.com/3gNwHsA11h
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 29, 2021
There’s no doubt that quarterbacks are going 1-2-3 in the first round. But the San Francisco 49ers are the key to everything tonight as they ultimately will choose between Mac Jones, Trey Lance and Justin Fields.
If the 49ers take Jones, as many have speculated, that would leave Fields and Lance on the board for the Bears to make a move and trade up in the top 10 to land one of them.
The New England Patriots is the other team looking to trade up, according to Rapoport, and they could be the Bears’ biggest competition in looking to land Fields or Lance, should they slip.
On a day where it was revealed Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay, imagine what landing Fields or Lance would do for this Bears fanbase.
