Ian Rapoport Dropping Hints At Team To Watch In Chase For #1 Pick

It is too early for any market to develop around the Chicago Bears #1 pick. Everybody knows the team is open to trading it. GM Ryan Poles has an entire roster to rebuild. He doesn't need a quarterback. It makes all the sense in the world to auction the pick off to the highest bidder. Nobody can say for sure who may or may not make a move for that spot. There is still lots of work to do before something happens. The scouting combine is later this month. Teams must collect data on the top quarterbacks. Then there is free agency, where the big-name veterans must figure out where they're playing. Once that is done, the Bears should have their answers. Ian Rapoport understands the process.

The NFL Network insider is one of the most well-connected in the league. On Football Night In Chicago, he admitted that it's a little early to get a read on any market for the #1 pick. However, in the flow of answering questions, he did seem to drop subtle hints about one team to watch.

"I don't mind trading back, though. You gotta have someone willing to come forward. Then it's like, how far do you go back? You going back to two? Seven? Going back to nine? How far are you going back and still get a premium player while collecting for the future?"

The team picking at #9 is the Carolina Panthers.

Mentioning them once doesn't offer any definite proof of intent. Then a few moments later, Rapoport struck again. This time the Panthers were mentioned directly. Even before Indianapolis.

"To me, focus on the quarterbacks. Who needs a quarterback? How close are they? Would Houston be willing to slide up to one? We've seen it before. Certainly would make sense. Panthers would be right there. Colts are also in the top 10. How many of those other teams are willing to jump?"

It's possible Ian Rapoport already knows something.

He isn't willing to make any definitive statements for obvious reasons. A lot can change in the next month and a half. Bringing up the Panthers specifically like that is still worth noting. One must consider all the factors in play. They have a roster that came close to winning the division this past year. Now Tom Brady has retired, leaving the NFC South wide open. If they can land a quarterback, they'll be well-positioned to seize control. It doesn't seem like the veteran market will go their way. They already failed with reclamation projects like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield.

The draft is their only avenue forward. They have extra ammunition to make a move up the board too, courtesy of trading Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. If there were one team that seems motivated to make that aggressive move up to #1 that isn't in or near the top five, it would be Carolina. Ian Rapoport has been at this long enough to know when to drop hints. Maybe it's nothing, but there is enough smoke to justify watching that organization carefully.