The Draft Network

According to owners, general managers, and head coaches, their professional football teams don’t try to tank for better draft picks. However, if a team was going to try to tank, the way the Chicago Bears did it was perfect. They found out what they have in their supremely athletic second-year quarterback by building an offense around his traits… and then lost just about every game down the stretch for the premium draft capital that allows them to build around said quarterback. Now they hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, which they can either use as trade bait or as a chance to reboot their franchise’s rebuild. With more than three months to go until the draft, the valuations of so many prospects could change with the college all-star games and NFL Scouting Combine still ahead. Even team needs might look different by the time the draft rolls around thanks to free-agent signings. But if the draft happened right now and I were the general manager of the Bears, this is how things would go in Chicago.