NFL Draft Expert Believes the Bears Could Trade Back Twice in the Upcoming Draft
The Bears are situated advantageously to trade back from the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, which could provide them with an opportunity to secure a top defensive prospect within the top four.
General Manager Ryan Poles is widely anticipated to trade back, especially given the presence of Justin Fields as the team's quarterback. However, Poles could potentially turn the No. 1 pick into multiple picks if he can successfully sell the notion that the Bears are interested in drafting a quarterback.
As per Heavy Sports' insider, Matt Lombardo, it is believed that the Bears could "conceivably trade back twice" in the draft, depending on Poles' ability to manufacture a smokescreen around their interest in a quarterback.
League sources suggest that the Bears could trade back twice if Poles can create an illusion that they are interested in a quarterback that teams like the Houston Texans would be eager to draft, such as moving to pick No. 2 in exchange for multiple first-round picks and slipping down to either pick No. 4 (with the Indianapolis Colts) or No. 5 (with the Seattle Seahawks) and still select a player that would have been a top choice No. 1 overall.
However, the challenge in this strategy lies in the widely held belief that the Bears will stick with Fields and seek to trade out of the top spot regardless. Additionally, competition from division rivals also plays a factor. The Texans and the Colts could engage in a bidding war for the top pick, particularly if a top quarterback prospect emerges as the draft approaches.
In such a scenario, the Bears could trade back one spot with the Texans (No. 2) and then trade back a second time with either the Colts (No. 4) or another quarterback-needy team within the top 10. This could help drive the price up for the pick.
As an NFC Personnel Director told Lombardo, "There are a multitude of variables when it comes to moving out of the top spot, especially when considering how far to trade back and the number of teams interested in moving up."
With at least seven teams within the top 10 in the market for a quarterback, Poles has a plethora of suitors for the top pick, which increases his chances of trading back twice, should everything go according to plan.
