Several NFL teams are in the trade market for the Bears' No. 1 overall pick, and those QB-needy clubs will surely be fixated on this week's combine in Indianapolis where Ohio State's C.J. Stroud reportedly will throw for scouts.
Those same scouts will have to wait a little longer to make their final evaluations on Alabama QB Bryce Young, who reportedly will wait to throw at his schools' pro day on Wednesday, March 23.
Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, remains the favorite to be selected first overall on April 27. Stroud sits as a four-to-one longshot to hear his name called first by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Kentucky's Will Levis, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Georgia's Jalen Carter round out the group of players expected to be in contention for the top pick. Carter, who won back-to-back national championships as an interior defensive lineman with the Bulldogs, is the only non-quarterback listed in the top five favorites to go No. 1.
Levis and Richardson are also expected to throw at the combine.
2023 NFL Mock Draft: C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young?
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Stroud, 21, was a second-team All-American who finished fourth in Heisman voting in 2022. He completed 66.3% of his passes and threw for 41 touchdowns, leading the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State lost to Georgia in the Peach Bowl in what would be Stroud's final collegiate game, but the young signal-caller was superb in the contest, throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns against the nation's lowest-scoring defense.
Stroud now re-enters the national stage this week at the NFL combine, in attempt to raise his draft profile -- potentially past Young, who has shared the consensus No. 1 QB prospect slot since the 2022 college football season kicked off last September.
The Bears, owners of the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, seem committed to QB Justin Fields, which opens up a trade down with the team who falls most in love with Young or Stroud -- or possibly Levis or Richardson.
Those trade contenders include the Houston Texans (No. 2), Indianapolis Colts (No. 4) and Seattle Seahawks (No. 5), with the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7), Atlanta Falcons (No. 8) and Carolina Panthers (No. 9) in the mix, as well.
Will the Bears scouts be giving Stroud a clone look this week in Indianapolis? It seems likely despite the favoritism shown towards Fields this offseason. The Bears could neg on their Fields position and go with another Ohio State QB if Stroud is impressive enough.
Of course, they could also be wooed by Young, too. The more likely scenario though is a trade down involving one of the aforementioned teams picking in the top 10 of the 2023 draft order.