2024 NFL Draft: Are the Bears destined to trade out of the No. 9 pick?

If you take Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles at his word, then you probably think the Bears won’t be very active making trades during the 2024 NFL Draft. Poles said last week that Chicago feels good about taking a “blue player,” the highest grade a player can receive on Chicago’s board, at No. 9 overall rather than trade down for extra picks.

In fact, Poles went as far as to say the 2024 NFL Draft might be… boring.

But some around the NFL aren’t buying it. In a recent post by ESPN, the expectation remains that the Chicago Bears will trade out of the ninth pick.

“I’d be shocked if they make that pick at nine,” an NFC area scout told ESPN. “[Bears GM Ryan] Poles loves to move around and build through the draft, and that roster still needs help in some spots.”

Poles indeed loves acquiring NFL draft capital by trading back, but this year feels different. The 2024 NFL draft isn’t deep. The talent pool in rounds five through seven won’t be very different than players who are usually signed as priority free agents, making the need to have those Day 3 picks not as great.

MORE: Grading Mel Kiper’s picks for the Chicago Bears in his final 2024 NFL Mock Draft

A source close to the Chicago Bears scouting department told me the team is putting in extra time on likely PFAs, knowing their NFL Draft could be over in the fourth round. From there, it’s up to the Bears’ scouts to recruit players who will fall out of the draft to sign with Chicago.

I wouldn’t bet on the Bears trading out of the ninth pick. Instead, it’s more likely Ryan Poles will leverage a 2025 draft pick to move up (maybe into the second round).

All of these questions will be answered soon enough when the 2024 NFL Draft kicks off on April 25.