There has been a bunch of speculation about who if anyone will trade with the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. The Indianapolis Colts have been linked to potentially trading for the pick to select a quarterback. However, Colts general manager Chris Ballard’s comments on Wednesday seem to indicate that may not be the plan.
Ballard was asked about this scenario during an interview with reporters at the NFL Draft Combine. While he didn’t rule out the possibility of trading up for Chicago’s pick, he detailed that there needs to be “a player worthy” of trading up for.
“There has got to be a guy worthy of it,” said Ballard. “Everybody has automatically stamped that you have got to move up to number one to get it right. I don’t know if I agree with that. But that is going to be the narrative. I don’t know if that is the right course of business.”
Unfortunately for Ballard, he may not have the final say on this. Much of the speculation around the Colts trading up has been due to Colts owner Jim Irsay previously praising Alabama’s Bryce Young. All indications at this point are that Indianapolis would need to move up to draft Young.
However, there are a number of other top quarterback prospects that the Colts may be interested in that they could take at the No. 4 pick. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson, and Kentucky’s Will Levis all profile to be early first-round possibilities.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.