Report: Bears Trade No. 1 Pick in 2023 NFL Draft to Panthers for 4 Picks, DJ Moore

The 2023 NFL draft is still more than a month away, but we have our first blockbuster trade of the season between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.

The Bears are sending the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft to the Panthers in exchange for the No. 9 overall pick and No. 61 overall pick in 2023, a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2025 and wide receiver DJ Moore, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Full Trade Breakdown

To Bears

2023 No. 9 overall pick

2023 No. 61 overall pick

2024 first-round pick

2025 second-round pick

Wide receiver DJ Moore

To Panthers

2023 No. 1 overall pick

The Bears were widely expected to trade the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported last month that Bears general manager Ryan Poles "is very high on value" and that he would "most likely aim" to change the fact that the team only had one pick within the top 50.

Chicago didn't have a first-round pick in the 2022 draft, but it did make 11 selections, including second-rounders Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker and third-round wide receiver Velus Jones Jr.

Additionally, the Bears didn't necessarily need the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft as they already have a quarterback in Justin Fields, who was selected 11th overall in 2021 and showed solid growth as a passer and runner in 2022.

Moving the first overall pick allowed the Bears to capitalize on the opportunity for a significant return and the flexibility to upgrade across the board, which is exactly what they did. With the No. 9 overall pick, they'll still likely be able to select a player they've been eyeing.

As for the Panthers, they're widely believed to be eyeing a quarterback in this year's draft as the acquisition of Sam Darnold from the New York Jets ahead of the 2021 campaign turned out to be a bust.

NFL insider Albert Breer wrote in his mailbag column earlier this week for Sports Illustrated that he "wholeheartedly" believed the Panthers would move up in the draft to select a quarterback. However, he added that he was "unsure" which signal-caller they loved.

Alabama's Bryce Young is widely believed to be the top quarterback available in the 2023 class, topping Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis.

Richardson, whose amazing athleticism was on full display at the NFL Scouting Combine, is expected to need at least one year to develop at the NFL level before becoming a full-time starter, and Levis isn't on the same level as Young or Stroud.

So it seems like it could come down to Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, and Stroud.

The Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department listed Stroud as the top quarterback in the 2023 class following the NFL Scouting Combine. It has Richardson ranked the second-best available and Young the third-best.

Derrik Klassen of the B/R Scouting Department notes that Stroud "can be an effective rookie-contract quarterback while trying to add more of an edge to his game."

Additionally, Klassen says Young "needs to climb over a number of obstacles to work in the NFL" but that he "would have a better chance to overcome those obstacles on a team with a good offensive line that can give him space and safety."