The Chicago Bears have pre-draft visits scheduled with both Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. This certainly fits the speculation that the Bears are interested in acquiring a top quarterback to eventually replace Jay Cutler as the starter. However, drafting at No. 7 means the Bears must trade up to get one of the top two options and that is looking less and less likely to happen as the draft gets closer.
In order to acquire either Winston or Mariota, the Bears must be in the top two picks. According to ESPN's Todd McShay, both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans are expected to draft quarterbacks and the price tag of their picks will be expensive. That is certainly not deterring interest on the idea of moving up. The San Diego Chargers are offering Philip Rivers in a deal. The Cleveland Browns are dangling two first-round picks. The Philadelphia Eagles could move Sam Bradford. The Bears will lack the ability to get a deal done even if they offer Cutler in the package.
According to former NFL Executive and current ESPN analyst Bill Polian, the reality the Bears can actually trade up for either quarterback is very slim considering the price considering the price could be similar to what the Washington Redskins paid for Robert Griffin III which was three first-round picks and a second-round pick. That does not fit the philosophy of Bears' general manager Ryan Pace.
"It's easy to say we'll go up in the draft. What's the price? Then the question is, even if you think you can afford the price, is Tennessee willing to do it? I haven't heard anybody from Tennessee say we're in the market to trade this pick. They may entertain calls, everybody does, but the price I think is going to be pretty darn high," Polian said, via ESPN.com.
Instead, the Bears could easily select a wide receiver in the first round, something they have also been linked to. According to the Chicago Tribune, the team has looked at all of the top receivers including Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker to help replace Brandon Marshall. Right now, Alshon Jeffery is the No. 1 guy. The team signed Eddie Royal in the offseason. They need another receiver to help elevate the offense and help Cutler who will be competing as the starter with Jimmy Clausen.
