Revisiting the Mitchell Trubisky Trade Between 49ers and Bears During 2017 Draft

 

In 2017, the Bears and 49ers made a surprising trade at the beginning of the draft.

49ers, set to pick second, dropped back one spot, allowing the Bears to move up and pick their QB of the future. They paid a massive price.

Bears received 49ers first round pick (#2) and in return, the 49ers received the Bears first round pick (#3), third (#67), fourth (#111), and a 2018 third.

Looking past the obvious first round pick swap, SF received an additional three picks, all in strong spots. All of this, just for the Bears to draft QB Mitchell Trubisky (over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson).

While the 49ers received three picks – the trade is extremely complicated and includes 6 teams and a total of 14 players between the 2017 and 2018 drafts.

San Francisco 49ers

Ultimately, the 49ers had 4 picks from the Bears and they used two of them and traded two, to acquire additional picks.

• 2017 #3 (via Bears) – DE Solomon Thomas, who has just 6 sacks through three seasons
• 2017 #67 (via Bears) – Traded to Saints
• 2017 #111 (via Bears) – Traded to Seahawks
• 2018 #70 (via Bears) – LB Fred Warner, who had an interception in Super Bowl LIV

#67 was traded to the Saints (more below). In return, SF received 2017 seventh round pick (#229) and a 2018 second round pick.

• 2017 #229 (via Saints) – CB Adrian Colbert, who was cut before the 2019 season
• 2018 #59 (via Saints) – Traded to Redskins

49ers traded the 2017 third round pick acquired from the Bears, turned it into a 2018 second round pick, and traded that to the Redskins (more below). Redskins received #59 and a third round pick (#74), while the 49ers moved up in the second round and received pick #44 and #142 in the fifth round.

• 2018 #44 (via Redskins) – WR Dante Pettis, who has 7 career receiving touchdowns (5 in 2018)
• 2018 #142 (via Redskins) – CB DJ Reed

49ers used the fourth round pick (#111) acquired from the Bears, to move up into the end of the first round. SF traded #111 and #34 in round two, for the #31 pick.

• 2017 #31 (via Seahawks) – LB Reuben Foster, who was released in November 2018 after being arrested for domestic violence.

Ultimately, the 49ers used 2 of their 4 picks, and the other two picks were used in trades with 3 other teams to draft a total of 4 additional players. 49ers basically acquired 6 players, in exchange for the Bears drafting Mitchell Trubisky.

Seattle Seahawks

49ers traded a 4th round pick, to move up from 34 to 31, allowing them to draft Reuben Foster.

Seahawks receive:

• 2017 #34 (via 49ers) – Traded to Jaguars
• 2017 #111 (via 49ers from Bears trade) – S Tedric Thompson

Seahawks received a 6th round pick from Jacksonville, to move back one spot in the second round.

Jaguars drafted OT Cam Robinson #34 (with the pick that the 49ers used with the Bears’ fourth round to move up to #31.

Seahawks drafted DT Malik McDowell #35, and Seattle CB Mike Tyson at #187.

Washington Redskins

49ers traded the third round pick, acquired from the Bears, to the Saints in 2017. In return, the Saints traded away their 2018 second round pick, which the 49ers traded to the Redskins, with each team swapping two picks. The 49ers drafted Dante Pettis and DJ Reed.

The Redskins drafted:

• 2018 #59 (via 49ers) – RB Derrius Guice
• 2018 #75 (via 49ers) – OT Geran Christian

New Orleans Saints

Saints acquired the rights to the third round pick that the Bears traded the 49ers. It cost them a 2018 second round (which was noted above).

How did the Saints use that pick?

• 2017 #67 (via 49ers, Bears) – RB Alvin Kamara

---

Ranking the teams involved from winners to losers

1. Saints – they ended up with the best one of the 14 players drafted, making them the obvious winner
2. 49ers – Solomon Thomas hasn’t been anything special, but Fred Warner really emerged in 2019 and there is still a slimmer of hope for Dante Pettis
3. Jaguars – Cam Robinson started 14 games in 2019
4. Redskins – Derrius Guice missed his rookie season but showed potential in 2019
5. Bears – Mitchell Trubisky will compete with Nick Foles for the starting job in 2020
6. Seahawks – Malik McDowell never played an NFL snap (and never will) due to injuries and arrests. Tedric Thompson is a solid player.