Chicago Bears are coming in hot, with one name at the center of attention: Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty.
Chicago Bears draft day rumors are flying in left and right. It is lying season, with the NFL draft less than 48 hours away. It all started with what seemed to be an innocent Ryan Poles and Ian Cunningham press conference this afternoon, but turned into so much more.
“I think this one’s going to be a little wild but we’re going to be prepared for all the different scenarios that pop up," - Bears GM Ryan Poles
“It could get wild, It could get wild. Sit back and watch. We have no feel right now. We’ll see.” - Bears Assistant GM Ian Cunningham
The two most important people in the Bears' front office think things are about to get wild at the top of the draft. That's nothing crazy, though. They are entirely in on any smokescreens and other disinformation they want to put out there. Soon after the press conference ended, Brian Baldinger sent out a video saying that a trade to a top-five pick is in the works.
That set off a domino effect of Bears bloggers and insiders speculating that the Bears might have wheels in motion to trade with the Jaguars for the number five pick to select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Maybe that is far-fetched. It is all speculation on the surface, after all. But there seems to be a ton of smoke about the Bears making a move for Jeanty this evening.
So what would it cost for the Bears to move up to the fifth pick? According to the Jimmy Johnson trade chart, the 10th pick is worth 1,300 points while the fifth pick is worth 1,700 points, so the Bears would need to pony up an additional 400 points worth of picks. Pick 72 is only worth 240 points, while pick 41 is worth 490 points, so it would seem that the Bears need to include picks 10 and 41 in the trade. In return, they could ask for something like the Jaguars' pick 107, which is worth 80 points.
I think it would be silly to move an additional top 50 pick for a running back. If it happens, I hope the Bears plan to trade back from pick 39 to recoup an additional top 100 pick, because having fewer swings at their disposal seems foolish to me. Don't get me wrong, though, I will be excited about Jeanty regardless. He is an incredible football player. But using multiple picks to select him is a high-risk game that I would prefer the Bears stay away from.
