The Chicago Bears are one of the teams that pretty much everyone looks at and thinks they are simply taking the best defensive lineman or safety on the board with their 1st-round pick. But what if I told you the Bears could flip the whole first round on its head by taking another wide receiver?
The idea may seem egregious given the Bears' needs defensively, and those are real, but the trade involving veteran wide receiver DJ Moore did more to the complexion of the roster than simply open up the path for Luther Burden III to have more snaps in 2026.
The receiver position is integral to Ben Johnson's offense, and the Bears really only have two guys right now (Rome Odunze and Luther Burden) who can truly be relied upon. That doesn't mean they have to throw 1st-round draft capital at the receiver position (again), but the Bears might be in a great position to capitalize on the value of this class and its depth at wide receiver.
Chicago Bears could be intriguing landing spot for WR in 1st round
I think it's pretty safe to say the Bears surprised quite a few folks last year when they used a 1st-round pick on tight end Colston Loveland despite the presence of veteran Cole Kmet on the roster. Kmet was perceived by pretty much everyone on the outside as the clear TE1 for the Bears and a building block.
Now, Loveland looks like one of the top young stars at the position in the NFL.
The Bears know they have to keep loading up around Caleb Williams, and they're currently one injury away from disastar at receiver. Not that you build your team in that way, but the Bears also have to be attentive to the strengths of this year's draft class, and how they can use their flexibility later on.
Bears GM Ryan Poles is equipped with some pretty outstanding capital this year, including four picks in the top 89 overall. There's outstanding depth in this class at positions like safety, linebacker, and other areas the Bears might be considering with their top pick overall.
It wasn't until I was doing an exercise looking at the idea of how much a playmaker like KC Concepcion could help a playoff team that I realized just how fun he could be in a context like Chicago with Ben Johnson.
Concepcion has the ability to separate easily and consistently. He's physical at the catch point even for a smaller receiver, and he's outstanding after the catch. In an offense like the one Johnson runs in Chicago, he could be a perfect scheme fit. Even though the Bears have Odunze, Burden, and Loveland already in the fold, it's not like DJ Moore was just a luxury for them.
They got everyone involved, and having that increased level of talent makes everyone better and everyone's lives easier.
Adding a playmaker in round 1 like Concepcion may seem far-fetched, but it could be an interesting curveball for the Bears to throw at everyone since receiver is likely among their top 3-4 areas to address in this draft class.