In a surprising move, the Chicago Bears have traded their #1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft to the Carolina Panthers for additional draft picks and, most surprising of all, wide receiver standout DJ Moore.
In all, in return for the top pick, the Bears will receive Carolina’s #9 pick, 61st pick (2nd round), 1st round pick in 2024 and 2nd round pick in 2025, along with Moore.
The addition of Moore takes care of one of Chicago’s most glaring weaknesses, its lack of a true #1 wideout. Moore, a former 1st round pick out of Maryland, had three straight 1000-yard seasons before falling off last season to 888 yards on 63 receptions, largely due to the terrible QB situation in Carolina.
While most observers expected the Bears to trade down in order to acquire additional draft capital, most attention was focused on either Houston or the Colts (2nd and 4th overall picks, respectively) due to their immediate needs for a franchise QB. Carolina, while also in the market for a QB, seemed too far down in the draft order to really be a player.
That changed today, and it is likely that the addition of Moore was the deciding factor.
