The Chicago Bears are said to be “leaning toward” moving the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft as they have been approached by multiple teams about trading the top pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bears own a valuable pick in a draft that a number of teams are looking to make a change at the quarterback position, and since the he AFL/NFL merger in 1967, the top pick has been traded 12 times before the start of the draft.
The last time it happened was back in 2016 when the Los Angeles Rams traded up from the 15th overall spot to the 1st overall pick two weeks prior to the draft, and ended up selecting quarterback Jared Goff, marking only the second time that the first pick was traded before the draft.
“We have flexibility where if there’s opportunities where if we can turn that into a lot of players that come in and help us, we can do that,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. “If it’s staying put or really being selective with certain people, we can do that as well. I know my expectation, our expectation, is that we move the needle to be more successful. We can win some of these close games and bring in guys that can impact this football team.”
