The Chicago Bears could be involved in a trade for LaMichael James with the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the NFL draft, as the team could use another backup behind Matt Forte and his skills could fit with the Marc Trestman offense, while the draft this year may focus on defense and names like CJ Mosley, Justin Gilbert and Aaron Donald could be in the mix with the number 14 overall pick.
The Bears are an interesting option for the James trade, as they love to get their running backs involved in the passing game and James could be a real weapon in that regard. Matt Forte just had one of his best seasons in the NFL, but he could use some support after barely getting any from Michael Bush last season and so far Michael Ford hasn't shown that he can be a legitimate number two yet. The Bears don't have many draft picks, but if they were thinking of using one on a back at some point, they could look at James as an alternative option.
There are some very solid names in the draft like Carlos Hyde and Tre Mason, but they might cost a second or third round pick, while the team likely could get James for a fourth to sixth round pick based on how other deals have played out this offseason. The Bears ranked 16th in rushing yards per game last season and while James hasn't played much with the Niners, that was more about names in front of him like Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter. James has blazing speed and after playing for Chip Kelly at Oregon, working with an offensive guru like Trestman could be a good fit.
Mosley and Gilbert are looked at as two of the top defensive players in the draft and they could be options for the Bears. The team ranked last in the league in rushing yards allowed per game and Mosley could help that, while the team also was 15th in passing yards allowed per game and Gilbert could help keep that in line as well, as the Bears gave up franchise record amounts of yardage last season.
The Bears come into the draft in solid position when it comes to picks, as they have seven all together and two of those are sixth round picks, while the rest filter out with one in each round. Marc Trestman's first draft with the team was a success and now he could be looking to try and bring some major talent in on both sides of the ball. The Bears are mostly set on offense, although they could use some depth in various areas like running back and tight end as well as on the offensive line, while the defense needs a big overhaul after the way they performed last season.
The team previously traded their seventh round pick to the Dallas Cowboys and they got the number 183 overall pick in the sixth round after trading Gabe Carimi to the Buccaneers. The team likely will go defense with their first round pick, but at number 14 the talent in the first round can start to wane and they will look at both Gilbert and CJ Mosley as options, as the linebacker and cornerbacks units could use some depth as well after losing some players to free agency.