With a young, franchise quarterback already in place, the Chicago Bears didn’t hide their desire to trade the No. 1 pick. On Friday, more a month before the draft, they found a taker.
According to multiple reports, the Carolina Panthers are sending a massive package of picks, as well as three-time, 1000-yard receiver D.J. Moore, to the Bears for the top selection. In addition to Moore, Chicago will also receive the No. 9 and No. 61 choices this year, as well as the Panthers’ first- and second-rounder in 2024.
Although there are still multiple scenarios for how the top-five choices could play out, Friday’s trade should ultimately benefit the Detroit Lions. The Panthers are presumably trading into the top spot to select a quarterback, significantly increasing the odds at least three, and potentially four, QBs are taken before the Lions are slated to be on the clock at No. 6.
In addition to the Panthers, who have been scrambling to find a reliable quarterback in recent years — swinging trades for former top draft picks Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield — the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, who hold the No. 2 and No. 4 picks, are believed to be eyeing passers.
Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals, sitting in the No. 3 slot, could also be looking to move down as urgency for the other quarterback-needy franchises increases following the Panthers’ climb up the board. That group includes Las Vegas (No.7) and Tampa Bay (No. 19).
Coming out of the scouting combine this month, Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Florida’s Anthony Richardson solidified their cases to be top-five picks. Kentucky’s Will Levis, who showcased elite arm talent at the event, is the fourth quarterback would could come off the board early in the first round.
Whether it’s three or four QBs, that scenario would push one of the draft’s elite defensive talents into Detroit’s waiting arms. The consensus top-three defenders in this class are all defensive linemen — Alabama’s Will Anderson, Georgia’s Jalen Carter and Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson. That’s good news for a unit that finished No. 32 in yardage allowed last season.
Admittedly, Carter’s recent legal issues complicate the discussion. Arguably, no player would better fit Detroit’s needs. The 6-foot-3, 314-pound defensive tackle is an elite interior defender who earned first-team All-American honors in 2022. But he had to leave the combine after two arrest warrants were issued in Georgia, charging him with racing and reckless driving in an auto accident that resulted in the deaths of a former teammate and a university staffer.
Carter returned to Georgia, posted bail and returned to the combine, issuing a statement that he looked forward to being exonerated of any wrongdoing. Still, regardless of the outcome of the case, selecting Carter carries troublesome optics for a franchise that has extolled the value of character throughout the roster.
If three quarterbacks, Anderson and Wilson are the first five selections, and the Lions aren’t interested in Carter, the alternative options would be a cornerback such as Illinois Devon Witherspoon or Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy, or even help for the offense in the form of offensive lineman Peter Skoronski or running back Bijan Robinson.
Trading down with a team interested in moving up for either Carter or Levis could also enter the mix.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers