When the Chicago Bears traded two first-round picks to acquire defensive end Khalil Mack, the expectation had to be that those picks would be in the late 20s. And that was the case in 2019, as Chicago’s pick came in at No. 24.
But after another (heart-breaking) loss on Sunday, the Chicago Bears have fallen to 3-4, and they are in last place in the NFC North. Their schedule only gets harder as they will travel to Philadelphia this week to take on the Eagles. And with the NFC playoff picture starting to come together, it appears the Bears will be on the outside looking in this season.
That is excellent news for the Raiders, who own their first-round pick this season. If the Bears don’t make the playoffs, the lowest that pick could be is No. 20. However, that pick is slated to be much higher right now, coming in at No. 13.
If Chicago were to lose next week against Philadelphia, that pick has a chance to move inside of the top-10. And while Oakland would love to compete for a playoff spot this season, their own pick is currently slotted at No. 12.
There is still a lot of football to be played before we find out where the Raiders will be picking in the first round, but Oakland has to be feeling even better about the trade after Chicago’s struggles this season.
