One QB Said To Be Driving Up Price Tag For Chicago Bears' #1 Pick

The Chicago Bears don't have to do much work at this point. They hold the #1 pick in the draft. It's for sale. Several teams badly need a quarterback and are starting to learn there is no way they can sit back and wait for one. There is a strong possibility all four of the top names in the 2023 class will be gone in the top five selections. The scouting combine pretty much solidified that. It comes down to whether a team is willing to risk their favorite guy landing with the Houston Texans at #2.

According to insider David Kaplan of ESPN, more than a few are not. From what he's hearing, the rush to secure that #1 pick via trade is getting borderline frantic. Some teams are ready to "move heaven and earth" to secure it. Where it gets really interesting is which QB seems to be garnering the most attention. One would think it'd be Bryce Young of Alabama. Several evaluators still have him as the top quarterback in this class. Kaplan revealed that isn't the case. The guy teams seem most anxious to nab is C.J. Stroud of Ohio State.

Chicago Bears should be grateful to Justin Fields' understudy.

He's been delivering some clutch performances over the past few months that have only helped their cause. It began with his stellar game against eventual national champion Georgia in the college football playoffs. That got a lot of people on his side, especially after the Bulldogs went on to crush TCU in the championship game 65-7. Things got even better from there. While Anthony Richardson may have aced the athletic drills, it was Stroud that stole the show during throwing sessions at the scouting combine. He was as close to perfect as one gets.

Combine that with a strong showing in interviews, and it's not hard to understand why teams are suddenly desperate to move up for him. The Chicago Bears aren't complaining. His ascent has allowed GM Ryan Poles to basically hold the #1 pick for ransom. He already believes he can get two future 1st round selections from somebody. Now it is about how much more he can ring out of teams before pulling the trigger. Rumors are it could happen before free agency begins. If not, odds are it goes down by mid-April at the latest.