Pace likely will pass first on QB
GMcould trade down and possibly get one later in the first round The Sun- Times’ experts can answer your Bears questions all week on Twitter. Here’s a sampling of Tuesday’s queries sent to @ patrickfinley, who responds with more than 140 characters:
@ Henry_ 78: Do you see the Bears as doing their due diligence with the QBs, or are they considering one at No. 3?
A: There isn’t a more important position in sports. If the Bears fall in love with a quarterback, they should take him third in next week’s draft.
If general manager Ryan Pace sticks to his strategy to draft the best available player, I don’t think he’ll take a passer third. @ tommeismer: How likely do you think the Bears are to trade down from the No. 3 pick or trade back into the first for another pick?
A: I think Pace is open to trading back, given the depth of the draft in positions the Bears need — safety, cornerback, tight end and defensive line.
To quote the hip- hop classic Lil Yachty butchers in that Target ad, though, it takes two.
What player is available at No. 3 that would entice a team to jump up? Leonard Fournette? Mitchell Trubisky?
Getting extra picks for moving back would give the Bears ammunition should they choose to maneuver up in the draft later. If there’s a quarterback available at the end of the first round that might not be there on Day 2 ( DeShone Kizer? Patrick Mahomes?), then I could see them being aggressive and trading their secondrounder to move up.
Worth noting: first- round picks receive a contract with a fifth- year
team option, while those taken in other rounds don’t. @ benthebear61: Is Pace going to crush the draft like Costner in ‘’ Draft Day? A: That movie is the worst.
@ HappenedInALyft: What positions if any do you see the Bears doubling up on in the draft? Corner? Wide receiver? Safety?
A: No one would blame them for drafting two safeties or two cornerbacks after they tied an NFL record by posting only 11 takeaways last season. Don’t discount the defensive line. Pace took one in the third round last year and the second round in 2015— or pass rushers, either. Getting to the quarterback is essential. @ Knee_ Mart: Will the Bears extend Akiem Hicks?
A: They gaveWillie Young a contract extension during training camp last year. If they look to reward a veteran in the same way this offseason, Hicks would be my first choice.
He posted a career year in the first season of a two- year deal, with seven sacks and two forced fumbles. He’ll be 28, still well within his prime, when he becomes a free agent nextMarch.
Hicks seems more worthy of an extension than other Bears’ veterans whose contracts expire after next season, including tight end Zach Miller, left tackle Charles Leno and defensive linemanMitch Unrein.