Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images and Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bears may stumble upon a mass of riches in the first-round of the draft thanks to the decisions of other teams in the Top-10

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kole Noble | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 7:08 PM ET

The closer we get to the start of the 2025 NFL Draft, the more interesting the Chicago Bears become sitting with the 10th overall selection.

What happens in picks 5-9 is still anyone's guess and will control how the rest of the board plays out, but the way things are sounding, the Bears should be ecstatic.

Which is why on Tuesday, two days before the draft, Bears general manager Ryan Poles noted he feels really confident where the team is positioned despite the amount of wild possibilities that could occur.

The true wildcard of the draft right now is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are reportedly toying with the idea of trading back or taking a top offensive play-maker, which many are starting to believe could end up being WR Tet McMillan.

If that's indeed the case, the result would cause multiple top prospects to tumble down the board depending on what the Raiders, Jets and Saints do. NFL Insider Todd McShay floated one mock possibility that should excite Bears fans, and here's what he projected the Top-9 could look like.

TEN - Cam Ward
CLE - Travis Hunter
NYG - Abdul Carter
NE - Will Campbell
JAX - Tet McMillan
LV - Armand Membou
NYJ - Jahdae Baron
CAR - Jalon Walker
NO - Mykel Williams

"If you're Bears fan and you get to pick 10 and Ashton Jeanty's there, and Tyler Warren's there, and Mason Graham's there, we could have three or four of the top nine players in the draft still sitting there at 10," McShay explained on the Le Batard & Friends Podcast. "That's going to be the fascinating part of the draft."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Todd McShay (@tmcshay13)

This would be an absolute perfect scenario for the Bears. Just a few days ago, saying the Bears could have their pick of Jeanty, Warren, or Graham would have been blasphemous. It's not so insane anymore.

Inside the Bears' building, the top decision makers have surely pondered this exact possibility when considering what the other teams sitting ahead of them with the first nine selections might do on Thursday.

"We do a good job of assessing the team needs along with our analytics group to try and anticipate what teams are looking for," assistant general manager Ian Cunningham explained. "We try to figure out which direction they're going to go, but again, we don't know. We're not in their draft room, we just try to do the best job we can."

Another factor that could play into the Bears' hands is any other quarterback besides Cam Ward sneaking into the Top-10. The team to keep an eye on there is the Saints at 9. McShay noted New Orleans is high on Jaxson Dart, and who's to say the team doesn't just pull the trigger on him there instead of waiting for the second-round?

"You'd like as many quarterbacks to go in front of us as possible. Just because that's not a position, we're definitely not going to take a quarterback this year," Cunningham added. "But, yeah, we'll see."

No matter what, executives are anticipating some wild things to happen on Thursday and it's seeming like that's exactly what the Bears are sitting back and hoping for.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: