Almost every mock draft has Drake Maye penciled into No. 2 overall pick for the Bears with Marvin Harrison Jr going with the next pick. The NFL Draft is all about smoke, mirrors, and subterfuge which is what the Bears should lean all the way into with this pick.
Between the two players being mocked to the Bears Marvin Harrison Jr seems like a lock, but Ryan Poles would be wise to make the obvious selection with the second pick and not the third. This would allow Chicago to try and dangle the next pick to a team that wants to trade up for Drake Maye, while leaving the door open to taking him themselves if that’s the route they want to go.
It feels like the sort of draft day drama that could unfold, and it puts the Bears in a position of total control. The third pick would be just as valuable as the second pick since Maye is still on the board, so there’s no need to overthink what the difference in value is between the two.
If a team wants to get Maye, they’ll pay just as much to move up to No. 3 overall to get him as they would the second pick, with the Bears possibly being able to leverage it for a bit more than the sticker price since teams would have a little extra time to consider a trade up.