Sleeper Team Reportedly Monitoring Chicago Bears’ #1 Pick

The Chicago Bears will hear the phones ringing a lot for the next couple of months. That is the byproduct of holding the most coveted prize in the NFL draft. The #1 pick is the ticket to any player you could want in a class, or more specifically, any quarterback. That is why the Bears are in a unique position. They already have a quarterback they’re happy with. So they’re more open to trading the pick than another team would be. It comes down to GM Ryan Poles getting an offer he’d be happy with and how far he’s willing to move down.

Current projections have the Bears dropping somewhere between #2 (Houston), #4 (Indianapolis), and #7 (Las Vegas). However, it isn’t crazy to think teams even further out might think they have a shot. The Rams were 15th in 2016 and still swung a deal with the Titans for #1. That might be why a team like the Carolina Panthers is worth watching. They select 9th in the draft. It isn’t a secret they have a quarterback need and have whiffed multiple times on veteran options. Joe Person of The Athletic covers the team.

He believes there is a strong likelihood they’re interested in that #1 pick.

“After cycling through three QBs in three years who were acquired via trade or free agency, the Panthers seem ready to swing big in the draft. Scott Fitterer and assistant GM Dan Morgan spent a chunk of the fall traveling to scout the top four quarterbacks in person. They likely could stand pat at No. 9 and get one of them. But if they become smitten with one in particular, Fitterer has the draft capital to move up to No. 1 — thanks to the Christian McCaffrey trade, which brought the Panthers an extra second, third and fourth this year and an additional fifth in 2024. The Panthers almost certainly would have to include a future first-round pick. That’s a lot to give up, but the Panthers haven’t had good QB play since Cam Newton was injured halfway through the 2018 season.”

The Chicago Bears would need a strong offer to make this happen.

Going from #1 to #9 is a long drop. One future 1st round pick might not be enough to make it happen. If the Panthers aren’t keen on the idea, they could build a package around one of their players. Defensive end Brian Burns is certainly somebody the Bears would be interested in. He’s one of the best pass rushers in the league and a perfect fit for their system. Whether Carolina would make that deal is impossible to know. The point is they are a player in this sweepstakes if one of the quarterbacks makes a strong impression on them.

Poles sits in a great spot. He holds the pick. Houston sits right behind him on the board. Everybody knows they’re going to take a quarterback. All the Chicago Bears have to do is be patient and wait for the right offer. Unless these QBs look utterly hopeless in the pre-draft process, the hype will take care of itself. If the Rams were willing to sell the farm for Jared Goff and the 49ers were hoodwinked by Trey Lance, it won’t be a hard sell to think somebody will covet Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud.