Would Trading Up for Marvin Harrison Jr. Really Be a Gamble?

Analysis: Tanking makes no sense but trading up for Marvin Harrison Jr. isn't the most ridiculous Bears draft thought.

Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Bears doesn't sound so silly if it's through a trade and not tanking. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The idea was never silly, only the method of achieving it was.

The rumors circulated last week about the Bears possibly being interested in trading up for Marvin Harrison Jr., and there is never anything wrong with the idea of connecting the best quarterback in the draft with the best receiver.

The suggestion that Harrison had tried to tank his value in the draft so this could happen was the ridiculous part about the rumor.

However, the thought of Caleb Williams throwing to MHJ lives on and it's not through tanking or some subversive process. It's through another trade rumor.

Boston Globe columnist Ben Volin suggests the New England Patriots could look to trade out of the third spot in order to accumlate picks.

Duh. They should have been doing this all along.

This would be a wise maneuver considering the sorry state of the roster. Drafting Drake Maye or even Jayden Daniels won't help immediately on a team in total decay. The Patriots might be better off building the team up with extra picks, and maybe even using some of the extra picks accumlated to ensure they get the best QB in next year's draft.

Volin suggests a team that could move up in the draft would be the Bears, as they try to add MHJ to create a three-headed monster for Williams to target.

For the Bears to do something of this nature would require giving up at least one of their second-round picks next year and maybe another pick like No. 75 this year. The revised Drafttek value chart would make this year's third and next year's second about what it takes to go from No. 3 to No. 9, but negotiations always are much tougher than the simple use of the value chart.

It might take the first-round Bears pick next year instead of the second-round pick. They have two second-round picks next year. Maybe both of them would do it.

Either way, this is a rare opportunity to come away with the draft's top receiver. He's one who has visited Halas Hall and reportedly likes the ideao of playing in Chicago.

Ultimately, it's easy to see why nothing would happen.

For one thing, if any team was moving up to No. 3, it would make more sense if it was Minnesota. The Vikings have two first-round picks. They could easily find a way to make that deal with the Patriots to get whatever quarterback they want. They might not get the one they want at No. 11 if they wait there.

Besides the Vikings factor, the Bears themselves would have to use logic and it's unlikely they'd conclude such a deal would be worthwhile.

The difference between getting Rome Odunze as the third receiver in this draft class and Harrison is not so great as to equal how much they're going to give up in draft capital to do it. Odunze is an outstanding receiver, a probable top-10 pick, and the Bears might not need to do anything exta to get him beyond hand a card to the commissioner.

That's a really good deal.

Then again, depending on how the picks fall the Bears might not even be in position to draft Odunze.

In that case, perhaps they better look closely at the possibility suggested by Volin. It could be an all-or-nothing scenario. Either they go all out for the top receiver or they sit there and watch all three of them get taken before No. 9.

The cost of trading up might be high in terms of draft picks, how many more picks are the Bears going to need next year to have their team built the way they want it?

The Bears should be in position at this point to be competitive in the playoff chase. One extra dangerous target might be all they need to get over the hump, even with a rookie quarterback.

They might need a safety next year or maybe they'll still need a 3-technique. They never seem to be able to fill that spot and now the idea of signing one in free agency is gone after Matt Eberflus' former 3-technique, DeForest Buckner, signed a contract extension.

Everything else should be in place, though. In that case, what purpose would they have for those picks then anyway? They might as well use them on Harrison.

And having Harrison on the roster ensures they would be set up well should Keenan Allen leave after the final year of his contract in 2024. If they win this year, maybe he won't want to leave and they get him at a bargain rate.

The problem is, they would be in good shape if they just had Odunze as well, and they would get to keep those picks for whatever.

If they're set on a receiver, though, it might be worthwhile then to move up just a little to ensure they get one even if it's not Harrison.

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