The Bears are sitting atop the 2023 NFL draft, where the expectation is general manager Ryan Poles will trade back with a quarterback-needy team in order to acquire additional compensation.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter released his first three-round mock draft of the offseason, where there are six trades in the first round. The Bears account for half of those.
Chicago trades back not once, but twice inside the top four with the quarterback-needy Texans (No. 2) and Colts (No. 4) in exchange for a bevy of draft picks.
In the Houston trade, Chicago sends the No. 1 pick and a fifth-rounder for the No. 2 pick, as well as a 2023 third-round pick and a first-rounder in 2024. In the Indianapolis trade, the Bears send the No. 2 pick to the Colts for first (No. 4) and second-round (No. 35) picks in 2023, as well as second- and third-round selections in 2024.
But Chicago isn’t done. They make a trade with the Chiefs to move back into the first round at No. 31 overall, sending the Colts’ second-rounder and their own fourth-round pick to Kansas City to land a playmaker for quarterback Justin Fields.
When all is said and done, the Bears make five picks in the first three rounds. Take a look: