Bears could benefit from potential bidding war for No. 1 pick
Perhaps no team is better positioned to benefit more from the 2023 NFL Draft than the Chicago Bears.
On a recent episode of the “First Draft” podcast, ESPN draft insider Todd McShay stated the Bears could benefit from a potential bidding war between quarterback-needy teams like the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.
“Every team that needs a quarterback wants to get to that No. 1 spot,” McShay said. “I don’t think [the Texans] will sit at two. I think they’ll do everything they can [to move up], and the Colts are going to be the driving reason.”
The Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans could also possibly be looking to draft a QB.
Should the Texans want to move up from No. 2 to 1, they would likely have to give up something similar to what Chicago gave up in 2017 to move from No. 3 to No. 2, which included swapping first-round picks plus throwing in third- and fourth-round picks plus an additional third the following year.
The Colts sit at No. 4, so if they were to leapfrog Houston, it would likely cost them an additional first-rounder plus two to three additional draft picks.
With no need for a quarterback, if Chicago were to trade as far back as fourth, it could still land either Alabama defensive end Will Anderson or Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter plus add as many as three additional picks in 2023 and potentially an extra first- or second-round pick in 2024.
The last time a team traded out of the top spot, the Tennessee Titans received a haul from the Rams that included two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two third-round picks.
The No. 1 overall pick has been traded just five times in NFL history:
2016—Rams trade up for QB Jared Goff
2011—Falcons trade up for QB Michael Vick
1997 —Rams trade up for OT Orlando Pace
1995—Bengals trade up for RB Ki-Jana Carter
1990—Colts trade up for QB Jeff George
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