The Chicago Bears are officially on the clock for the 2023 NFL Draft
With the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select…
That’s right, the Chicago Bears and Ryan Poles are officially on the clock. As the season started coming to a close, the chances of the Bears landing that top pick kept looking better and better. A few key wins for the Rams and Panthers pushed those teams further down the draft board, while the Bears kept losing.
Going into this last game of the 2022 season, the lowest pick the Bears could end up with is fourth. Knowing the team was more than likely to lose, the second-overall pick was most likely. However, there was a small chance that the Houston Texans would beat the Indianapolis Colts and give the Bears the top spot. That’s exactly what happened.
It was a nail-biter of a victory for the Texans though. I stopped watching the Bears game and started focusing on the Texans game instead. In a game that included two pick-six interceptions (one for each team), the Texans did everything they needed to fight for this win. It’s most likely that Lovie Smith is being fired and maybe this was his way of sticking it to the Texans.
With less than two minutes in the game, the Texans found themselves down 31-24. A team with only one win and with a coach likely to be fired, it would have been easy for the Texans to just give up in this game. Instead, they fought back and on fourth and 12, gained 30 yards to give them life. Then, on fourth and 20, Davis Mills threw up a prayer that ended up being caught for a touchdown.
Instead of kicking the extra point, Lovie Smith had his team go for two. It was a win and lose the top pick in the draft or lose and maintain it scenario. They converted and the Chicago Bears now hold the top spot, while the Texans dropped to second overall.
Now, the Chicago Bears find themselves officially on the clock as the team shifts from regular season form to prepare for the offseason. This is when Ryan Poles and Ian Cunningham must earn their keep.
There are many scenarios that could be played out now that they have the top spot. Do they trade down for a large number of draft picks? Do they trade Justin Fields and select the quarterback they find better? Remember, Justin Fields was a Ryan Pace pick, not a Poles pick. Do they just stay put and take the player they find to be best in the draft?
What would you do? Leave a comment.