Draft Kings

● By Teddy Ricketson
The Chicago Bears are hoping the only way they can go is up. They finished 3-14 in the 2022 season and earned the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft for having the worst record in the league. They dealt with the growing pains of a rebuild and were still trying to figure out what they had in quarterback Justin Fields. The bright spot of having such a bad season is that there is hope on the horizon with a good draft pick. Chicago had some evaluating to do with this class of quarterbacks. They could retain Fields and build for the future elsewhere in the draft or reset the rookie quarterback contract clock and trade away Fields. The Bears seemingly made their decision when they traded No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers for WR DJ Moore and draft picks. This move gives the Bears three picks in the first three rounds as well as a new top wide receiver. Darnell Mooney is a solid receiver, but in his first season as the lead pass-catcher in the offense, he fell flat. Moore gets a fresh start in Chicago, and the move should also help Mooney and Fields improve. The Bears are going to be cosplaying as the Midwest Panthers, with Moore, D’Onta Foreman, and PJ Walker all departing Carolina and heading to Chicago for the 2023 season.