The Chicago Bears are on the clock!
By virtue of their loss to the Minnesota Vikings and the Houston Texans’ come-from-behind win against the Indianapolis Colts, the Bears have secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. This marks the first time they’ve owned the first pick since 1947. And with all due respect to that 1947 draft class, this upcoming one has a heckuva lot more significance.
And to think, we can thank Lovie Smith for his efforts in leading ಞthe Texan🔜s to victory.
Put Lovie in the ring of honor. Send Davis Mills a Chicago-centric gift pack featuring Eli’s Cheesecake, Al’s Italian Beef, Harold’s Chicken, and a bottle of Malört. And give Jordan Atkins the same after scoring what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion.
I simply cannot believe this actually happened. Something good hap꧑pened to the Bears for being 💙bad. Unbelievable.
Getting the first overall pick is a poten🉐tial game-changer. There is still a bunch of trade-back value that GM Ryan Poles can realize if he plays his cards right. Essentially, Poles can run the board by pitting teams against each other to win the Bryce Young/C.J. Stroud sweepstakes. If Poles can successfully thread the needle, the Bears can trade that first overall pick for a treasure chest full of picks and assets and put𒈔 the pedal to the floor on their rebuild around Justin Fields.
And even if Poles stays put at No. 1, you’re still looking at the possibility of drafting Alabama defensive end Will Anderson or Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. I guess that wouldn’t be the worst consolation prize.
But we’ve got 109 days to sort that out because that’s when the 2023 NFL Draft opens its doors.
As for us, our offseason begins now (even if I don’t expect much “o෴ff” t🔴ime).
