The Chicago Bears Just Got Even More Good Draft News

Things have been breaking the Chicago Bears' way in recent weeks. A freak comeback victory by the Houston Texans handed them the #1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. It's the first time that has happened since 1947. Suddenly GM Ryan Poles has crazy amounts of leverage going into the spring. He can either take the best player on his entire board, or he can auction the pick off for a bounty of extra selections from a QB-desperate team. It is hard to imagine things getting much better. Well, they did.

Thanks to the Roquan Smith trade, the Bears secured 2nd and 5th round picks from the Baltimore Ravens. The exact positioning of those picks remains to be determined because that team was entering the playoffs. If they made a deep run, the positioning of those picks would continue to fall. So Bears fans watched the wild card round against the Cincinnati Bengals with deep interest. They watched an entertaining contest, to say the least. Baltimore was on the cusp of engineering a massive upset until one of the greatest momentum-shifting plays in NFL history happened.

That touchdown proved the difference. Cincinnati escaped 24-17, sending the Ravens home. The impact on the Bears now becomes clear. They will end up with the 53rd or 54th pick in the 2nd round this April, pending the Dallas Cowboys-Tampa Bay Buccaneers tilt on Monday night.

The Chicago Bears should be happy about this.

Recent history shows the 53rd-54th pick range has been lucrative for teams. They've produced possible future Hall of Fame wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Davante Adams. Former All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy went there. So did 100-sack defensive end Carlos Dunlap and MVP-hopeful Jalen Hurts. Poles will have a reasonable chance to land an immediate difference-maker for his team. Don't forget he landed Jaquan Brisker at the 48th spot last year. So it's not unreasonable to think he can find talent in that area of the draft.

With clarity on that draft question, the Chicago Bears can focus on what to do with the #1 pick. Most experts believe they're going to trade it. The only debate is to whom. There likely isn't any shortage of contenders. Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Carolina, and Tennessee all stand out as possibilities. It only takes one of them to fall in love with one of the top quarterback prospects to create the market for a trade. If Poles plays his cards right, he could end up with more than one 2nd round pick before the dust settles.