The Indianapolis Colts find themselves in an interesting predicament when it comes to the 2023 NFL draft as they are one of the favorites to trade up to the No. 1 overall pick.
Currently held by the Chicago Bears, who are unlikely to draft a quarterback, there’s expected to be somewhat of a bidding war for the top spot. The thought process behind moving up to the No. 1 overall pick essentially is that if there’s a top prospect in the team’s eyes, go get him.
The package the Colts would need to send isn’t all that clear. Right now, the Bears have the leverage but moving back three spots to No. 4 overall still guarantees them one of the top defenders in Georgia’s Jalen Carter or Alabama’s Will Anderson.
Since the 1967 merger, there have only been 12 trades involving the top selection. Four of them involved teams moving up to draft a quarterback, and there have only been two trades since 2000. Three of them involve the Colts.
So before we propose our own trades, let’s take a look at the history of trades involving the No. 1 overall pick.