Chicago Bears: Report says the team is likely to trade the No. 1 overall pick

LAKE FOREST – When it comes to the debate of whether to keep the No. 1 pick or trade it, many people believe the Bears will do the latter.

A report on Monday morning ahead of the start of the National Football League combine seems to indicate that will be the case.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Bears are leaning towards moving the No. 1 overall selection that they have for the 2023 NFL Draft that’s scheduled to begin on April 27 in Kansas City.

This isn’t a surprise to many since the Bears already have what many consider to be their franchise quarterback in Justin Fields and likely won’t choose to select one with that top overall pick.

With a number of other positions of need for the Bears and the prospect to get multiple high picks from a team in need of a quarterback, it’s not a surprise that general manager Ryan Poles will heavily consider moving the selection.

It’s the first time the Bears have had the top pick since 1947 and only the third time in history. In 1941 the team selected Tom Harmon out of Michigan then picked Bob Fenimore out of Oklahoma A&M (Now Oklahoma State) six years later.

The last time the Bears selected in the Top 5 was 2017, when they traded up from the No. 3 pick with the 49ers to get the second in order to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

At the moment, the Bears have eight selections in the 2023 NFL Draft