Let’s imagine for a minute that the Chicago Bears actually do pull off a trade for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. Feels good, doesn’t it?
Before we get too deep into this emotional high, let’s first take a look at what a Wilson trade could cost the Bears and what kind of impact it could have on Chicago’s 2021 NFL draft.
CBS Sports draft analyst Chris Trapasso did this exact exercise in his latest 2021 mock draft. He sends Wilson to the Bears in exchange for Khalil Mack and the Bears’ 2021 first- and fifth-round pick.
I’m as big of a Mack-guy as you’ll find, but I’d support this trade. Sure, Mack is an elite edge defender with game-changing ability, but as we’ve seen over the last few seasons, it almost doesn’t matter what kind of players — even elite ones — you have on the roster if you don’t have a quarterback who can put the team on his back.
Swapping Mack for Wilson makes sense, and the first-round pick is more like a quarterback tax than anything else. It’s a fair trade.
With Wilson in place, the Bears’ first draft pick in 2021 is No. 52 overall, where Trapasso has Chicago taking Alabama center, Landon Dickerson. It’s an interesting selection, and Trapasso’s mock is the first one I’ve seen with Dickerson headed to the Bears.
I have a high-second-round grade on Dickerson right now, so this would be a good value pick for the Bears who need to rework the offensive line, even if the interior isn’t the squad’s biggest weakness.
In the third round, Chicago adds Nico Collins, the high-ceiling receiver from Michigan who boosted his draft stock during the 2021 Senior Bowl. With the future of Allen Robinson still tied up in a potentially ugly franchise-tag standoff, adding a player like Collins makes sense, even if this is a round or two too early for my liking.
For Trapasso’s complete seven-round mock draft, click here.
