The Chicago Bears could hold much power in 2023 NFL DraftRyan Heckmanon November 29, 2022 at 12:00 pm

It was an eventful morning for the Chicago Bears as they entered into a Week 12 matchup with the New York Jets.

In a year where they indeed know who their quarterback of the future is in Justin Fields, the Bears didn’t even know who would start the game against the Jets. It ended up being Trevor Siemian instead of Nathan Peterman, who looked like the starter for a split-second.

But, in any event, the Bears lost another game — their fifth straight — and dropped to 3-9.

That loss, coupled with a handful of other low-tier teams winning, put the Bears in excellent position for the 2023 NFL Draft. Now, fans are starting to look at the possibilities of what the Bears could end up doing.

The Chicago Bears could make things real interesting in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Looking at the way the 2023 NFL Draft order is shaking out, there are currently five teams within the top 10 that could — and should — trade up with the Bears in order to land a franchise quarterback.

1. Houston Texans

2. Chicago Bears

3. Detroit Lions (via LAR)

4. Seattle Seahawks (via DEN)

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

6. Carolina Panthers

7. Philadelphia Eagles (via NO)

8. Arizona Cardinals

9. Green Bay Packers

10. Las Vegas Raiders

At number one, the Houston Texans will take whichever quarterback they believe to be “their guy” between Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. From there, things will get very interesting.

Let’s look at what exactly the Bears could get for that second overall pick, should they stay put through the end of the season. Take one of the more recent blockbuster trades we’ve seen, just for an example.

The San Francisco 49ers sat outside the top 10, but not by much. They swapped first rounders in 2021, plus had to send a pair of first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, accompanied by an additional third rounder — to move up nine spots.

Assuming the Bears could get something similar, general manager Ryan Poles is going to have an absolute blast in negotiations.

Let’s say a team like Vegas wants to move up and move on from Derek Carr, along with the mess that’s become of their 2022 season. They move up from pick no. 10, to pick no. 2, with a package like this.

Knowing what we know now about Fields, and some of the other cornerstones on this roster, think of the possibilities with a trade like the above.

The Bears would then have an opportunity to trade down even further with a team like Seattle, who owns the 16th overall pick, should the Seahawks see a player they cannot live without.

The possibilities of adding draft capital are endless, really. This might end up being one of the most fun drafts in Bears history, and one that could immediately turn the tides in a positive way for the future of this organization.

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