NFL Draft 2023: Here’s what Bears GM Ryan Poles thinks Chicago can get in exchange for No. 1 overall pick

The Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Poles are keeping things close to the vest regarding the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft. The Bears could use the pick themselves, or they could trade it to a quarterback-needy team in exchange for other assets. 

While he’s continuing to weigh his options, Poles recently made a few things clear while revealing what he thinks the Bears would be in line to receive in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick. 

“No one’s gonna rush me,” Poles recently told Peter King of NBC Sports. “I know I can get a ’24 [first-round pick] and a ’25 [first-round pick]. You’re telling me for the next two years I’ll have two ones? That’s either four really good players, or if we’re cruising, we can still trade back.”

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus recently said the Bears have spoken with three teams that are considering trading for the top pick, via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The Bears’ current plan is to visit Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State and Alabama while also having in-house draft meetings with prospects. Chicago’s brass probably won’t sign off on a trade (if it signs off on a trade) until this process has commenced.

Two of our four CBS Sports NFL Draft experts feel the Bears will trade the pick to the Indianapolis Colts, who currently own the No. 4 overall pick. Should that happen, the Colts would undoubtedly use the pick to select one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL Draft. In turn, the Bears would likely acquire multiple first-round picks that includes the fourth pick in this year’s draft. 

“We’re going to weigh all options,” Poles told NFL Network during last week’s NFL Combine. “The beautiful thing about the combine is that we get to sit down and pair the film and the evaluations that we did this past fall, and then pair it with the personalities, the makeup and the football intelligence. It’s been an unbelievable process to get some of the guys up on the board, talk about their film, have them regurgitate and teach us what they were taught and just how smooth it comes out from a lot of them. 

“We’ve got to weigh those options. It’s not an easy decision at all.”