Ex-Chicago Bears Scout Thinks Carolina 1st Round Pick Will Be Very High

If there is one move that has a chance to impact the Chicago Bears franchise more than any in recent memory, it's when GM Ryan Poles flipped the #1 overall pick to Carolina for the 9th pick, three extra picks, and wide receiver D.J. Moore. One of those extra picks was the Panthers' 1st round selection in 2024, giving the Bears two picks in the 1st round. If neither is traded, it will be the first time in over 20 years the franchise has selected two players that high in the same draft. One would hope they can do better than Michael Haynes and Rex Grossman.

Two questions linger about what could happen. The most pressing is how high that Carolina pick could go. Former Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel addressed this on Windy City Gridiron. He seems more than optimistic that Chicago will end up with a high selection when the dust settles after this season. Not only that, but he's fairly certain the team will have one position in particular circled for that pick when they go on the clock. No, it won't be a wide receiver.

It will be far more important.

"The Bears' pick from Carolina should be a potential Top-10 pick, maybe even a Top-5. If it is a Top-5 pick, the Bears could very well have the ability to select the best pass rusher in the Draft. In each of the last two Drafts, the perceived best pass rusher was selected in the Top-5. That shows the value of the position.

Next year's Draft is a good one for pass rushers. I have already evaluated several of them off 2022 tape, and all should be even better in 2023. Who the best one remains to be seen, but he should come from the group of Jared Verse from Florida State, Dallas Turner from Alabama, Bralen Trice from Washington and Chop Robinson from Penn State."

This would be the ideal outcome for the Chicago Bears.

It isn't crazy to think the Panthers might end up picking high again next year. For one, in the past six months, they lost three of their best offensive players from last season. Christian McCaffrey went to San Francisco via trade. Moore was traded to Chicago, and running back D'Onta Foreman, their leading rusher, also signed here. Their offensive arsenal doesn't look overly imposing. Having a rookie quarterback in Bryce Young projected to start doesn't help matters. Last but not least, they have an entirely new coaching staff coming in led by Frank Reich.

Normally in such conditions, a team doesn't win many games. Sure, there are exceptions. That said, it is far from unreasonable to think the Chicago Bears will have a top 10 pick going into the 2024 draft. Anything in the top five would be an absolute boon. Either way, they should have a golden opportunity to add two more highly-talented players to their young roster. If Poles plays his cards right, this team could be set up for long-term success by 2025 at the latest.