Bears Trade Up for Dynamic Offensive Weapon, Cardinals Land Top Prospect in New Mock Draft

The Chicago Bears have been linked to multiple running back prospects since the hiring of former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The Lions were a well-oiled machine on offense, led by running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

The Bears currently have D'Andre Swift as their starter, but he would likely be better as a complementary back than the full-time starting back. That makes the team drafting a running back, whether in the first round or later, highly likely.

One player the team seems obviously interested in is top running back prospect and Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty.

More news: Surprise Running Back Prospect is Rocketing Up NFL Draft Boards

In the latest mock from Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, he goes as far as having the Bears trade up in the first round, up to the fifth overall pick, to ensure they get Jeanty.

Given the heavily implied interest of the Las Vegas Raiders with the sixth overall pick, trading up just above them makes sense.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the team that trade down in this scenario, where they are able to select wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the 10th pick to serve as the number two receiver next to Brian Thomas Jr.

This trade seems like a mutually beneficial move for both teams, although the team more likely to trade down in this scenario seems to be the New England Patriots, who settle for offensive lineman Will Campbell with the fourth pick after missing out on Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter.

More news: Latest NFL Draft Rumors Could Force Patriots to Trade Down

Another interesting aspect of this mock draft is top offensive line prospect Armand Membou falls all the way to the 16th pick to the Arizona Cardinals. This would be an absolute dream scenario for the Cardinals, who have a need on the offensive line to better protect quarterback Kyler Murray.

Membou goes 12 picks after Campbell, which seems to be the opposite of recent trends in mocks, which more commonly have Campbell falling behind Membou.

Prisco says on Membou, "A lot of mocks have him going higher, but I hear a lot of differing opinions on him from league people and he isn't viewed as highly by teams as the draft cult ranks him. He is a great athlete for the position, but there are flaws. He is only 20 years old, so there is growth potential. The Cardinals need a young right tackle, so this would be a great spot."

This is contrary to what other draft experts have been saying, but is something worth keeping an eye on as the NFL draft approaches.

Mock drafts are only going to get more interesting as late April approaches, especially regarding potential draft night trades.

For more on the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.