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The Chicago Bears are on the verge of locking down one of the top two picks in the 2023 NFL draft and already NFL analysts are excitedly examining some of the possible trade-down scenarios that could present themselves if the Bears are looking to hyper-accelerate their rebuilding phase.
In The Draft Network’s most recent mock draft for 2023, they clocked the Bears at No. 2 overall and proposed an interesting trade scenario with the Cincinnati Bengals that would land them star receiver Tee Higgins along with a notable haul of draft picks.
“With potentially monstrous new contracts on the horizon for Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, something has to give,” TDN’s staff wrote in their December 26 mock draft. “In this case, it means Tee Higgins can’t get the deal he deserves in Cincinnati and asks for a trade. The wide receiver and draft-pick-needy Bears are willing to move back, pick up picks and add a superstar pass-catcher for Justin Fields. The Bengals give up their second-round pick and a 2024 third-rounder that could get replaced with a Jessie Bates III comp pick.”
The Bears would trade down from No. 2 to No. 28 overall in the scenario, using their newfound first-round pick to boost their defense with the selection of Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith. Chicago would also acquire the Bengals’ second-round pick (No. 59) in the upcoming draft along with an additional third-rounder in 2024.
Even With Higgins, Return Might Be Too Light for Bears
The Bears might be willing to entertain offers for the No. 2 overall pick that come with a high-value player — such as Higgins — attached as compensation, but the deal that TDN is proposing here might not make the most sense for Chicago even though it would net them a 1,000-yard receiver who has not yet entered his prime.
Higgins is a catch, to be sure, but the Bears also have numerous needs heading into the 2023 offseason on both sides of the ball and might be better served targetting teams willing to offer up multiple first-round selections for a top-two pick. The San Francisco 49ers were willing to give up three first-rounders and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins in order to move up from No. 12 to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL draft, using the pick to get Trey Lance. That’s far more value than the Bears would receive in the trade that TDN is suggesting involving Higgins.
If the Bears decide to trade down, they are also more likely to target a team that is in desperate need of a quarterback, which the Bengals are not. Nobody is delusional enough to think that Chicago would pick a quarterback at No. 2 with Justin Fields showing much promise in his second season, but teams who believe strongly in the potential of CJ Stroud or Will Levis might want to leapfrog a squad behind the Bears who could nab their preferred quarterback before them.
Bears Could Still Finish at No. 1 Overall
The Bears have been largely projected to finish at No. 2 overall in the 2023 draft standings over the past several weeks as they have continued to lose, but it also isn’t out of the question for them to walk away with the No. 1 overall pick depending on how the final two weeks of the 2022 regular season finish up.
In order for the Bears to claim the top pick, they would have to lose their final two games against the Detroit Lions (road) and Minnesota Vikings (home) and also see the Houston Texans win one of their games against either the Jacksonville Jaguars (home) or the Indianapolis Colts (away). The Bears would then hold an edge over the Texans for the No. 1 overall selection due to the Texans’ tie giving them a higher win percentage, which could yield an even bigger payout in the event of a trade-down decision.
It has been presumed for some time that the Texans would be unwilling to move down from No. 1 overall due to their desperate need for a franchise quarterback, but things change if the Bears own the pick. Several quarterback-needy teams could be willing to mortgage their future for the top selection in the 2023 draft, and general manager Ryan Poles would be wise to take advantage of that if they finish in the No. 1 spot.
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