The Chicago Bears are very likely to trade away the number one overall pick. Ryan Poles said as much at the NFL combine. However, another interesting note from what Ryan Poles said was about the timing of when he would trade that pick.
Ryan Poles said there are some scenarios that would benefit the Bears to trade their No. 1 pick *before* free agency because it would give the team "a clearer view of what we need" and scenarios where Chicago could acquire players in a trade for the top draft pick as well.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) February 28, 2023
This makes a lot of sense. Right now, you could actually argue the Chicago Bears are handicapped by having the number one overall pick. The big issue starts with losing the 32nd pick in the Chase Claypool trade. So, the team does not pick up 53rd after the first pick.
They have a lot of money, but it is hard for them to rely on the draft for key acquisitions until they understand what they get for number one. So, their draft plans are stalled a bit.
Beyond that, as Poles noted, one way to add players who are not free agents would be to trade the first pick. This could help them fill a position they were planning to spend on. This obviously would impact all of the dynamics when it comes to how the Chicago Bears will spend money.
Once they sign a right tackle or a defensive lineman, the odds of a team trading them one of those positions drop significantly. So, it makes sense that the pick is traded in the next week.
That sounds fast, but the team had most of what they needed already. The NFL combine is about the medicals, and once they can confirm those it is so much easier to set the board.
Once the board is set, they can decide how far they feel good about dropping while still getting value. They also can assess how many picks, and what areas of the draft to attack. Beyond that, they just spent the week with other teams in the same bars, restaurants, gyms, and hallways. Discussions may have come up here and there, but this past week was nothing but talks.
The Chicago Bears should come back from the weekend, have the board set by Wednesday, and then hope to trade the pick by the weekend. Free agency starts March 15, but we know that the tampering period is the real free agency, and that starts March 13. The actual trade may be much closer than you realize.