Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
Everyone knows the Bears traded their 2020 first-round pick to the Raiders for Khalil Mack. But where do the Bears pick in the next draft?
Ross L.
Raleigh, North Carolina
The Bears currently have seven picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. Their first two selections will be No. 43 and No. 50 overall in the second round. The No. 43 choice is one they received from the Raiders in the Khalil Mack trade that you mentioned. It would have been much lower if Oakland had not lost five of its last six games. The Bears also have their own picks in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds as well as a fifth-rounder from the Raiders in the Mack deal and a fifth- or sixth-rounder from the Eagles they received in exchange for running back Jordan Howard. The Bears included their third-round pick in the Mack deal and traded their fourth-round choice to the Patriots to move up to select running back David Montgomery in the third round of the 2019 draft. The Bears may also receive a compensatory pick, possibly in the fourth round, based on net loss of free agents last year. Here's what general manager Ryan Pace recently said about having seven picks in the draft after selecting five players in both 2017 and 2019: "We feel good about it. Just the quantity of draft picks we have in this draft is much better for us. It will give us ability to move around in the draft if necessary. Having the two second-round picks is huge for us, especially we can already feel the depth in this draft. That's something we hadn't had in recent years, so to have that quantity is important for us."
Which Bears players are supposed to have surgery this offseason and when are they expected to be able to return to action?
Phil T.
Indiana
General manager Ryan Pace revealed this week that inside linebacker Roquan Smith (torn pectoral) and tight end Trey Burton (hip) both recently had surgeries to repair injuries and that receiver Anthony Miller is expected to have a procedure on his left-shoulder for the second straight offseason. Smith, Burton and Miller are all expected to miss the offseason program and return for the start of training camp. In addition, the Bears are still in the process of determining whether quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will need to have surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder he injured early in a Week 4 win over the Vikings at Soldier Field.
Where does Cordarrelle Patterson rank in terms of all-time kickoff return average in NFL history?
Paul H.
Schaumburg, Illinois
Cordarrelle Patterson remains second in NFL history with a 29.9-yard average on 204 kickoff returns. The only player ahead of him is Bears Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, who averaged 30.6 yards on 91 returns. Patterson is third in league history with seven kickoff return touchdowns, one behind co-leaders Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington. Sayers had six kickoff return TDs in his career. In case you were wondering, Devin Hester had five.
Chalk Talk features fan questions multiple times each week.
Have a question yourself? Email it to Larry.
