Major Trade Alert: Carolina Panthers now own #1 pick.
Carolina acquires first overall pick from Chicago for #9, second rounder this year, first and second rounders next year, and WR DJ Moore.
Not a Bears fan by any stretch, but that's good work by GM Ryan Poles.
Now, who does Carolina take at #1? Stroud or Young or other?
Young.
People are knocking him for size but dude's a baller and being 6'5" is not a requirement in today's NFL at that position.
People are saying Stroud for physical gifts but Stroud had arguably some of the best WR corps in CFB and couldn't beat Michigan. Not to mention Stroud is soft. He gets rattled easily. What happens to him when he's facing 5 Hutch-like players coming to rip his head off in the NFL as everyone is bigger and stronger and faster in the NFL vis-a-vis facing the occasional superstar in college ball?
Stroud vs. Michigan: 65-97, 740 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs. He wasn’t the reason OSU lost those games. And I wouldn’t call 23-34 for 348, 4 TDs and 0 INTs against Georgia “soft.”
March 11th, 2023 at 10:29 AM ^
I'd agree with that, but I'd still worry about drafting him. You're rarely challenged as an OSU QB. You have a stacked roster and a bunch of NFL receivers running around. While Stroud didn't lose the games vs Michigan, he also struggled to put together drives against us. What happens when he's behind a mediocre OL and his WRs are facing DBs just as good as them and they're not wide open by 5 yards? Big TBD
I take Bryce over Stroud in a heartbeat, and I don’t say that because I’m a homer. Young just does more with less. He has not had the luxuries that Mac Jones, Tua, Hurts, and all the Bama QBs before him had. He didn’t have the stable of NFL ready receivers or the bell cow first round RB to hand off too. If Young had those tools, he would’ve left Bama with two titles and maybe two Heismans.
Young can improvise, and he has that “it” factor you need from a high profile NFL QB.
Maybe Stroud has it too. He played lights out against Georgia, but I also saw him shrivel up and wither away against Michigan, in two of the three biggest games of his life. I’d rather take the guy who is consistent regardless of the opponent.
I'll agree with this. Oracle keeps throwing out stats that look good for Stroud against Michigan - but it doesn't tell the whole story. He's not the reason OSU lost those games, but he did nothing - NOTHING - to will them to victory in the ways that Young willed Bama to victory (and two close defeats) several times this year alone. Not to mention the last two years. Young stepped up his game when his team needed it the most; Stroud shriveled up. Young is a winner, while Stroud reminds me of Jeff George - all the arm talent in the world, but he's just not a winner.
If I have to choose a QB, I'm taking Young over Stroud every time. And its not a hard choice...
As I see it, this gives Justin Fields one more year before the Bears consider pulling the plug. He is a mobile, fast QB but passing efficiency is sub par. Bears should have options to replace him in next year’s draft given this trade.
Can’t believe I’m defending the guy, but the Bears have done him absolutely zero favors. He had no weapons and no OL to protect him. You can blame plenty of his shortcomings (not all, but plenty of them) on the Bears front office for not giving him the tools to do the job effectively.
Even if the Bears cut him or trade him, it may not be the worst thing for his career.
Best case scenario is he flashes just enough for them to give him another contract…….then never advance any further……the bears locked into NFC north purgatory while the lions (hopefully) take advantage and get an iron grip on the division
Seems like I'm in the minority here, but I think the Bears got fleeced for the #1 overall pick in the draft.
Carolina moved up from #9 to the FIRST OVERALL PICK for essentially:
1 first round draft pick, 2 second round draft picks and DJ Moore.
*Carolina didn't lose a first rounder this year. They moved up with a pick swap (#9 to #1)
In today's world, that seems like a steal to move up 9 spots for the #1 pick.
Nice work by Carolina.
Huh? Dj moore is a beast...the Bears just got a proven very good receiver to pair with Fields and now they have more picks to build their OL, how can you say Chicago got fleeced?
Meh.
DJ Moore paired with Justin Fields passing to him really doesn't move the needle for me.
But to each their own.
Edit: maybe fleeced was the wrong word choice. I believe they (Bears) could have done better. IMHO.
Moore, Mooney, Claypool $ Kmet has a ton of potential.
Claypool for a 2nd rounder which is basically a first rounder was an awful trade and it was obvious when they made it
Yea, I see Moore as the bear’s new Allen Robinson, good receiver who can make plays who’s talent was never utilized to its fullest potential
Assuming they use that first overall pick to take a QB, they only got fleeced if the QB they take ends up being a Top 15 guy at the position. If you're certain Young, Stroud, Levis, or Richardson is going to be that guy, then, sure, it's a fleecing. Personally, I doubt any of those guys are that, particularly Stroud and Richardson.
I wasn't surprised the Bears moved their pick, I guess I was more surprised they settled with Carolina as their trading parter - essentially eliminating them from the Anderson or Carter sweepstakes.
First overall pick is incredibly overrated. Most years there's not some giant cliff between #1 and #10.
It's really only justifiable if they draft the right QB, and that's a 50-50 proposition at best.
Chicago won this trade going away.
March 11th, 2023 at 12:42 PM ^
And you could say the same thing about the draft picks that Carolina traded away to Chicago. If Chicago doesn't hit on those this trade was essentially DJ Moore for the #1 draft pick.
Again, I know I'm in the minority, but Carolina won this trade. Chicago could have and should have got a better return for the #1 pick.
I wouldn't be shocked if Carolina traded down a couple of spots and still got their QB plus pick up some assets. It was a solid haul Chicago got but if I'm Carolina I'm going to see if someone gets nervous about not getting their preferred QB and panics.
My pic checks out.
Pretty sweet trade by Chicago.
Not a bad idea. They have a good young team that almost won the division this year, and the NFC South is wide open.
The tab has finally come due for the Bucs. It was worth every penny to get Brady and that Super Bowl ring, but they are in full rebuild and cap hell for the next few years, Falcons are trending up but don’t have a QB, and the Saints have plenty of question marks themselves. Derek Carr could be something for them, but TBD.
If the Panthers get this right, they could rule the division for the foreseeable future.
I don't care two shits who got fleeced. This guarantees one of the big 3 DL's for the Lions...Carter, Anderson or Wilson. If the Cardinals trade with the Raiders to move up to #3 for another QB will make it even sweeter.
I now a lot of folks want a CB this high, aint gonna happen now.
March 11th, 2023 at 12:45 PM ^
Ding ding ding.
Let's not forget that Brad Holmes can use that #18 pick to move up higher to snag one of the corners.
As a bears fan I’m torn on this trade. Fields definitely needed wr help and being able to get a proven one is big, but I feel they could have got so much more from the pick. Fields wasn’t the reason their offense failed to win games, and I think he can be a pretty good qb with a little more help so keeping him was the smart move. The “but” is that they need serious defensive help first, and offensive line help a close second.
I feel they could have traded a couple of times, getting even more top draft stock this year and next, and still have been in a decent position to get Anderson, carter, or breese (?) from Clemson. They could have ended up with a total of three 1st rounders next year imo. 🤷♂️