Bears: ESPN's Todd McShay floats intriguing Ryan Poles-NFL Draft trade theory

Although Bears GM Ryan Poles already made a big move, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay believes he could have one more up his sleeve

The NFL Draft can sometimes be over-hyped in terms of trade activity and true surprises. Such is human nature. However, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles ensured that the 2023 iteration would deliver well before the April 27th start date when he traded the No. 1 overall draft pick to the Carolina Panthers for their No. 9, an additional first-rounder, two seconds and DJ Moore.

And ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay doesn't even think Poles is done wheeling and dealing.

“You've got Houston there at 12 and there's a lot of rumors that they're not going to take a quarterback at that No. 2 spot,” McShay said on ESPN Chicago's Waddle and Silvy. “They pick again at 12, Tennessee is at 11. If Houston doesn't take a quarterback and one of the quarterbacks is still on the board when they get to that 9, 10 range, they {Bears} could be a team that tries to get up ahead of Tennessee to go get that quarterback.”

.@McShay13 hints at why the Ryan Poles isn't done trading back.

Listen to the entire interview w/@WaddleandSilvy & @TWaddle87

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— ESPN 1000 (@ESPN1000) April 20, 2023

He painted quite the intriguing and chaotic picture. There could be multiple chess games being played during the 2023 NFL Draft, with GMs trying to out-maneuver each other in what figures to be an active QB hunt. Chicago has already obliged one of those teams and came out with an abundance of assets. Poles could be interested in sweetening the pot.

The Bears presumed strategy has looked different throughout this whole lead-up process. Many fans believed they were initially looking at a premium pass-rusher. After trading down, an offensive tackle like Northwestern's Peter Skoronski makes sense. Another move down the board could open things up again.

Like McShay said, the Houston Texans have the power to really throw everything out of whack depending on what they do at No. 2. CJ Stroud was once considered a lock to be their new franchise quarterback, but that feels like years ago at this point. The temptation to grab a high-end defensive prospect and then trade up from No. 12 to 9- possibly for Hendon Hooker or Will Levis- could be too big.

If it is, the Bears could again be agents of chaos.