Why Arizona Cardinals And Seattle Seahawks Will Decide Bears’ Draft Fate
The Chicago Bears made their intentions clear last month when they traded down from #1 overall. GM Ryan Poles is far more comfortable at 9th overall with the talent available in this draft. However, it puts him at the mercy of the unpredictable winds. Eight teams will pick ahead of Chicago now. Their decisions will dictate what Poles does when the Bears finally go on the clock. When examining the landscape of the top eight spots, no two teams feel like pivot points than the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.
Each for different reasons too. Both have different priorities concerning their rosters. Not to mention different philosophies. Still, their decisions will directly impact the Bears more than any other team. Here is why.
Arizona Cardinals: Trade down buzz and connected to Paris Johnson
It sounds like the first two picks are settling into place. Carolina will take a quarterback, most likely Bryce Young. Then the Houston Texans go at #2. While they’re a bit more unpredictable, most reliable sources think they take a pass rusher, be it Will Anderson or Tyree Wilson. It’s at #3 where things get crazy. The first big rumor is that the Cardinals intend to trade down. If that happens, the team coming up would take a quarterback. That means two QBs in the top three spots and probably three in the top four, with Indianapolis taking another.
Another part of this is who the Cardinals may take. Some believe they’ll take a top pass rusher, given how bad their defensive line is. However, there is a growing undercurrent of belief that that quarterback Kyler Murray is pushing them to draft Ohio State left tackle Paris Johnson. If that proves to be the case, it would take a significant option off the board for Chicago, perhaps pushing them closer to trading down when they go on the clock an hour later.
Seattle Seahawks: The Jalen Carter pivot point
The elephant in the room for the Chicago Bears is Jalen Carter. Everybody is dying to know where the Georgia defensive tackle will land. He believes he won’t fall out of the top 10. Several insiders have heard that he doesn’t get past Chicago if he reaches #9. Some don’t believe that will happen. He’ll be gone before that. When discussing landing spots, the most popular is Seattle at #5. It makes sense. They need defensive line help, and head coach Pete Carroll isn’t a stranger to taking chances on players with character issues.
If he gets past Seattle, then things become far clearer. There is still a chance Carter could go to Detroit at #6, but the chances of him landing with Detroit or Atlanta don’t seem feasible. In other words, the Bears can start thinking about the possibility if the Seahawks decide to pass. There is a chance another team jumps in front of them. Philadelphia is rumored to have interest. Still, Carter to Chicago starts getting series if he escapes the Seahawks’ orbit on Thursday night.