Colts Could Emerge as Strong Trade Partners for Bears No. 1 Pick

When the Houston Texans got the win in Week 18 and the Chicago Bears lost, Chicago jumped ahead of Houston in the NFL Draft order and secured the No. 1 overall pick in April's 2023 NFL Draft.

In a quarterback-heavy draft, the No. 1 pick this year always seemed destined to be a quarterback, however that's not a need for the Bears. Justin Fields showed some huge improvements this year and looks to be turning into the player Chicago had hoped he could be when they selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

While some have speculated that Bears GM Ryan Poles might look to trade Fields and draft a quarterback of his choice with the first pick, most believe the Bears will attempt to trade out of the No. 1 spot in order to acquire more assets and draft capital to build around Fields.

There are plenty of QB-needy teams in the top half of the first round that could be potential trade suitors for the Bears and the No. 1 pick. The Texans, Seahawks, Lions, Raiders, Falcons, Panthers and Jets could all conceivably be in the market for a quarterback on draft day, but ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid thinks the most logical trade partner is the Indianapolis Colts.

Colts NFL Draft News

The Colts own the No. 4 pick and are in dire need of a quarterback. Matt Ryan is still under contract for next season, but he could serve as a good mentor and bridge QB to start the season for the rookie. The Colts making a trade for the first pick holds advantages for both teams. Indy gets its QB and it jumps in front of the division rival Texans (who also need a QB) to do it.

The Bears, on the other hand, only move back three spots, pick up a bunch of additional assets and still guarantee themselves a stud defensive prospect in Georgia's Jalen Carter or Alabama's Will Anderson.

This trade sounds like one that's perfect on paper, both teams can come away with what they want, as long as they can agree on a proper compensation package for said No. 1 pick. You would have to assume the conversation starts at one additional first-round pick and then a bevy and combination of 2nd- 3rd- or 4th-round picks heading to Chicago.

Indy will then get its choice at selecting Alabama's Bryce Young or Ohio State's CJ Stroud. However, it better pick right, because the division-rival Texans will most likely select the other one with the next pick, so it would be a double whammy if the Colts got the pick wrong.

David Kaestle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username davekaestle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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