Todd McShay Mock Draft: Bears trade twice, land OL help in 1st round

Add ESPN’s Todd McShay to the contingent of NFL analysts who believe the Chicago Bears will trade the No. 1 overall pick by the time the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off.

In McShay’s latest 2023 mock draft, he has the Bears trading twice.

In the first trade, McShay sends the Bears’ No. 1 overall to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the No. 4 pick, the Colts’ second-rounder (No. 35), a fifth-round pick, and “maybe even a 2024 Round 1 selection.”

I think removing “maybe” from that proposed trade is safe. There’s no chance GM Ryan Poles will move off the No. 1 selection without getting a first-rounder in 2024.

The second trade predicted by Todd McShay is with the Las Vegas Raiders, where the Chicago Bears trade back from No. 4 to No. 7 and get “at least” a third- and fourth-rounder. McShay thinks the Bears could land a second-round pick as well.

I get it, McShay is being pretty conservative with his trade projections, but I think he’s trading Chicago’s picks at a steep discount. Remember: teams pay a premium to move up for a quarterback, even if it’s from No. 7 to No. 4. And going from the fourth pick to the first pick to pick a QB at No. 1 overall comes with a 120% price tag, as NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said during his media conference call before the NFL Combine.

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Todd McShay mock draft sends Bears help for Justin Fields

As for the Bears’ pick? Todd McShay has Chicago drafting Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski at No. 7 overall.

“There were already questions about whether Skoronski fits better as a tackle or guard at the next level, and his 32¼-inch arm length measurement at the combine will keep that chatter alive,” McShay wrote. “Offensive tackles ideally have 34-inch length or more. But he is sudden, almost always balanced in his set and powerful. And the explosion showed up in his vertical (34.5 inches) and broad jump (9-foot-7), both second-best among offensive linemen. Plus, only three sacks over 33 career starts were attributed to him at Northwestern. Braxton Jones looked impressive as a rookie, but the Bears need help on the offensive line.”

I don’t think any Bears fan would have a problem with this result, assuming Ryan Poles gets a haul of future first-rounders for sliding back to No. 7.

I recently had USA Today’s Luke Easterling on the Bears Talk Podcast for a three-round Chicago Bears mock draft, and he also went with Skoronski in Round 1. In this mock, the Bears trade down with the Carolina Panthers to No. 9. You can check it out here at the 18-minute mark (and remember to