Why Bears traded up with Panthers for Malik Muhammad at No. 124 overall originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Bears made a few solid selections on the first two days of the NFL Draft, with a steal in Dillon Thieneman, then on Day 2, center Logan Jones, tight end Sam Roush, and wide receiver Zavion Thomas.
Now, in the fourth round on Day 3, the Bears traded up with the Carolina Panthers and selected Malik Muhammad at No. 124 overall.
Why did the Bears trade up for Muhammad? The Texas Longhorns' cornerback was not expected to still be available, and the Bears pounced to make sure they got their preferred prospect.
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According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, to pick Muhammad, the Bears sent the Panthers the 129th and 144th selections in exchange for the 124th and 166th selections.
Muhammad, the 6-foot-0, 188-pound cornerback who is 21 years old, has been a productive player in his college career.
Last year at Texas, Muhammad secured two interceptions, one of which was a touchdown. He lined up outside so he could replace Nahshon Wright as a depth cornerback option in the secondary for Chicago.
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Muhammad received third round buzz, but he fell into the fourth round, and the Bears, instead of waiting, pounced, jumping up with the help of the Panthers to leap the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and the Cincinnati Bengals.
All three teams could've used Muhammad, so the Bears, instead of risking not getting their preferred prospect, jumped up a few spots in Round 4 while moving down 22 selections in the fifth round.
Chicago has added a ton of talent to their secondary in this draft, with Muhammad joining Thieneman, joining the defense after Wright, Jaquan Brisker, and Kevin Byard left in free agency.
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