The number 1 pick in the NFL draft 2023 was up for grabs in week 18, and in a surprising way, the team that wasn’t expected to get the first overall pick ended up with it.
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The Houston Texans and Chicago Bears entered the final week of the season with nothing to play for, but they were the only two teams in contention for the first overall pick.
The Texans were ahead of the Bears as they had a 2-13-1 record as opposed to the Bears 3-13 record. If the Texans lost, then they were guaranteed the first overall pick.
However, if the Texans were to win their game, and the Bears lost, then the Bears would have a worse record than Houston, and thus would have the first overall pick.
The Bears were slated to play the Minnesota Vikings and the Texans were playing the Indianapolis Colts. Both teams were expected to lose, but the Texans did face easier competition than the Bears.
In a miracle of sorts, the Texans came from behind to beat the Colts in a sequence that involved a miracle touchdown throw on 4th and 20 and a two-point conversion to follow.
The Bears promptly lost to the Vikings, and thus they hold the number one overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
What will the Bears do with the number 1 pick in the NFL draft 2023?
Chicago has a lot of options with the first overall pick. As it is with most drafts, the top prospects in this draft are quarterbacks. Based off their CFP performances, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Ohio State slinger C.J. Stroud have generated the most buzz.
They’ll likely be the first two quarterbacks taken off the board, and had the Texans held the number one overall pick, they would have definitely drafted one or the other.
However, they don’t, and the part that makes all this interesting is that Chicago has no reason to take a quarterback first overall. They have Justin Fields set as their franchise quarterback for now.
Therefore, they can leverage their pick for more draft picks by trading away the first overall pick to a quarterback-hungry team that would do anything to get their guy.
The Bears may even want to trade with the Texans, so that way they don’t fall too back, they receive more draft picks in compensation, and the Texans control who they draft. On the flipside, a team like the Colts may just pull the trigger to move ahead of Houston so that they can nab who they think is better.
It’s a waiting game for now, and it’ll be a fun one at that. Chicago is officially on the clock.
