Chicago Bears appear to be serious about trading up in 1st round

The Chicago Bears have traded back twice in the first round during the tenure of general manager Ryan Poles.

The Bears traded the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers in 2023 for a haul of picks and D.J. Moore. Chicago gave up one spot for a fourth to the Philadelphia Eagles (allowing them to draft Jalen Carter) before selecting Darnell Wright.

Poles has not yet traded up in the first round, though he almost pulled the trigger to move for Rome Odunze before taking him at No. 9 last year.

The Bears appear very interested in a prospect they’d have to trade up to draft in 2025.

During the NFL Scouting Combine in February, the Bears met with defensive tackle Mason Graham. While the meeting was significant, Chicago will meet with many players before the draft.

The Chicago Bears showed more interest in a star DT

However, the Bears are apparently showing significant interest in the pass-rushing prospect.

Per Brad Galli with WXYZ Detroit, the Bears were heavily represented at Michigan’s Pro Day as head coach Ben Johnson was there to watch in person. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was on hand as well.

Michigan Pro Day: Bears head coach Ben Johnson spent time with U-M head coach Sherrone Moore on Friday.

Image: Michigan Athletics pic.twitter.com/ymVaTszjdM

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) March 22, 2025

There’s no hiding who the Bears were there to see. Graham looks to be a target Chicago would consider trading up to draft.

At 21, Graham earned second-team All-American and two-time All-Big Ten honors during his three seasons at Michigan. The six-foot-three, 320-pound athlete recorded 3.5 sacks in 2024, and nine sacks for his college career.

Lance Zierlein with NFL.com ranks Graham as the No. 1 DT in the draft.

Mason Graham would be a huge get for the Bears

Via Zierlein’s scouting profile of Graham:

“Three-technique who provides activity, effort, strength and quickness,” Zierlein wrote. “Graham’s first-step quickness makes interior disruption inevitable. He has the instant read and response to regularly beat lateral blocks. He’s stout at the point of attack with great leverage and body control but will lose some ground against double teams.

“Graham’s lack of length makes it tougher for him to find quick wins as a rusher, but he more than makes up for it with his activity level and foot quickness. Harmonious hands and feet are the catalyst for his edge-to-edge counters, while his extended effort and closing burst help him get home.

“He may not dominate as a pro but his strength, body control and quickness should allow him to play his brand of ball and become a good starter in an upfield defensive front.”

In his latest mock draft, ESPN‘s Mel Kiper has the Jacksonville Jaguars selecting Graham at 5, meaning the Bears, who draft at No. 10, would have to trade up at least five spots to get the future star defensive tackle. There is no way Graham would fall to the Bears at No. 10.

The Bears are giving quite a pretty penny to DT Grady Jarrett after signing the All-Pro earlier in the month. But Graham would give the Bears more depth and would be Jarrett’s eventual replacement.

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