People predicted the Chicago Bears would be in the running for the top pick in the 2023 draft. For a time, it looked like they were wrong. Now, after some tough deadline trades and a litany of injuries, the Bears are indeed headed in that direction. The picture came into focus on Sunday. Chicago fell in New York against the Jets, pushing their record to 3-9. The team controlled the #3 overall pick going into this weekend. Thanks to a shocking development out east, they head for Monday morning the #2 overall.
The Carolina Panthers have found new life after firing head coach Matt Rhule in recent weeks. They don’t appear interested in draft position and proved it by smacking around the listless Denver Broncos in a blowout. Their victory puts them at 4-8, handing the #2 pick to Chicago. The only team ahead of them is the Texans, and that doesn’t seem likely to change. They’re not only a bad team, but they also have a way worse quarterback situation. Kyle Allen vs. Justin Fields isn’t a fair fight.
The Chicago Bears are in a perfect position if it holds.
Let’s presume they maintain control of the #2 pick It is a safe assumption the Texans will take a quarterback #1 overall. They already benched Davis Mills, making their thoughts on his future obvious. That means the Bears would have two options. They could select the best non-QB player on their entire board, or they could offer the pick to a quarterback-desperate team in exchange for a bounty of draft picks. That spot has proven lucrative multiple times in recent years. GM Ryan Poles wants to build this team through the draft. More picks are a good thing.
Early projections suggest the top five picks will be either quarterbacks or defensive players. Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter are the two heavy favorites in the latter department. Both would look great in a Chicago Bears uniform. Their defensive line is arguably the worst in the NFL right now. One of those two would go a long way in fixing it. Either that or they secure a bag of extra picks and stick with their quantity-over-quality approach.
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It may come down to how much Poles trusts himself and his scouts to find the right players.
the author is dumb, the Bears right now would have the 4th pick, they r behind Texans, Rams and Denver,, bottomline if they lose out, #3 pick for sure, #2 pick they would need help.The Rams play Denver later, head to head means nothing, strength or lack thereof is the tie breaker.
Carter or trade for a haul.
They will mess it up regardless!
Don’t overthink it given that the Bears have needs everywhere: Pick either Carter or Anderson. Go read the opinions out there most of whom believe both have superstar potential. Have seen each play 20+ times because I’m now an SEC guy and they both affect the game, especially when the stakes are highest i.e. SEC Championship games, Tennessee game (Carter), National Championship game (both). Of course both will get nitpicked to death between now and April. Quality beats Quantity every time.
This isn’t perfect if you factor in the Claypool trade. Pittsburgh made a tremendous decision trading Claypool to the Bears 🐻 and still screwing the Packers.😂