The Bears will focus quality over quantity in this week’s NFL draft.
With four draft selections, they have the fewest picks in franchise history. They had five picks four times: in 2019, 2017, 2011 and 2010.
The team’s four selections — No. 1 and No. 9 overall in Round 1, No. 75 in Round 3 and No. 122 in Round 4 — are the fewest in the NFL this year. In second place: the Browns, Dolphins and Giants, who have six apiece.
Amazingly, the Bears have traded away more 2024 draft picks than they own. They sent No. 40 overall (Round 2) to the Commanders for defensive end Montez Sweat; No. 110 (Round 4) to the Chargers for receiver Keenan Allen; No. 144 (Round 5) to the Bills for center Ryan Bates; No. 184 (Round 6) to the Dolphins for Dan Feeney, who spent last year with the Bears; and No. 231 (Round 7) to the Patriots for receiver N’Keal Harry, who played for them in 2022.
This week will mark a new tack for general manager Ryan Poles, who picked 21 players over his first two drafts.
Having only four selections might tempt him to trade down from No. 9 pick to acquire more selections, but Poles pushed back against that notion last month.
“The way we’re set up in the draft this year actually pairs up really well with how I think it’s going to play out,” he said.