Latest Draft Rumor Is Potential Great News For Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears already made their boldest move of the 2023 draft when they willingly traded the #1 overall pick to Carolina. It was a clear indication from GM Ryan Poles that he doesn’t think enough of the top talent in this class to justify staying put. He also admitted that the Bears’ roster is nowhere close to being ready for playoff contention. He needed more time and more picks. The Panthers, desperate for a quarterback, were happy to oblige. Now Poles must sit back and watch what happens next.
Conventional wisdom says at least three quarterbacks will go in the top four picks. Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud will go in the first two spots. Then either Anthony Richardson or Will Levis will go to Indianapolis at #4. However, a recent update from insider Peter King of NBC Sports suggests things might get crazy. While Carolina will still pick a quarterback at #1, it appears the possibility is rising that Houston may get cold feet at #2.
If that happens, it could set off a chain reaction.
I think the Texans are going to go quarterback at two. But in the last few days, I’ve heard this about Houston GM Nick Caserio: Very conservative. If he doesn’t love a quarterback at two, he’s not going to force it. He’d rather take this year’s sure edge thing, Anderson, the way Detroit took Aidan Hutchinson with the second pick last year. Detroit got rewarded handsomely with a great rookie year from Hutchinson.
“It’s a stretch, but I could see Nick taking Anderson, then using his second [first-round pick] and trading back up to get his quarterback,” one league personnel man said.
Maybe. I bet Indianapolis, at four, and Seattle, at five, would be okay with moving to 12 if it meant adding the better of the two Houston first-rounders next year (Houston has its own one next year and Cleveland’s one).
Chicago Bears could take advantage of such a development.
Why? Houston bypassing a QB at #2 would mean the odds increase of only two quarterbacks going in the top five spots. That means the chances are good that at least one of the top four quarterbacks could slip to the Bears’ 9th overall spot. This would give Poles the ideal bait for teams picking later in the 1st round to come up in a trade. Tennessee (#11), Washington (#16), and Tampa Bay (#19) are three such candidates. Rumors have persisted for weeks that Chicago might be angling to move down again.
If they have Anthony Richardson or Will Levis to dangle in a deal, the odds are far better that one of those teams will want to move up. Perhaps Poles felt this was a possibility all along. He’s been pretty good at reading where players end up going on his draft board. He proved that last year with Jaquan Brisker and Braxton Jones. If the draft breaks the way King suggests, it could give the Chicago Bears the leverage they need to deliver another lucrative trade to keep building their coffers.