2023 NFL Draft chatter is all the rage now amongst Chicago Bears fans.
And why shouldn’t it be? This is a team that’s been out of the postseason for a while now, and just secured the number 1 overall pick.
Thanks, Lovie.
With the power they hold in the first round, what do the Bears do? Some say they should draft Bryce Young and trade Justin Fields — but that’s not happening.
In one of the most exciting mock drafts you’ll see yet, the Bears keep Fields and start with a bang.
In this 2023 mock draft, the Chicago Bears start out with a big trade out of the number 1 pick.
Moving out of number one, the Bears land picks no. 5 and no. 20 from the Seattle Seahawks. Plus, they get a second and third rounder this year and a first-round pick next year.
It’s quite the haul, but Seattle is now in position to build around Young. Meanwhile, the Bears begin building around Fields.
At no. 5 overall, this is a no-brainer type pick for Chicago. Fields was running for his life all of last season, and even though Pro Football Focus graded the Bears’ offensive line as the 14th-best unit in 2022, fans know what they saw.
Fields was far from protected and took way too many hits. He needs a franchise left tackle, and that’s exactly what the Bears get in Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski. Drafting Skoronski allows the Bears to then move Braxton Jones to the right side, where he might be an even better fit.
Skoronski is this year’s top offensive lineman, and it’s not particularly close. The Illinois native would welcome a nearby trek to his pro debut, and the Bears would welcome the Northwestern product with open arms.
A player with high intelligence, Skoronski excels in both the run and passing game. He is effective in all schemes of the run and maybe his best trait in pass blocking comes with his elite hand usage. His football IQ is way up there, and the Bears will be fortunate to have a lineman like him in front of Fields.
With the second pick they received from the Seahawks, the Bears go right back to work on the offensive side of the ball by drafting USC wide receiver Jordan Addison. Widely regarded as a top-3 receiver in the draft and even some folks’ number one prospect at the position, Addison will be an easy plug-and-play starter from Day 1.
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Addison is a lot like fellow first-round prospect Jaxon Smith-Njigba in that he possesses average size at six feet tall, but is highly efficient in the areas that matter most. Addison’s release is up there with the best in his class and he’s able to get open with ease.
Having the ability to get open, combined with top-shelf body control, puts Addison at the top of his peers. This kid will be able to provide the Bears with a guy who can line up anywhere he’s asked. Regardless of the route, he’ll get open, period.
Over his three years in college, Addison caught a total of 219 passes for 3,134 yards and 29 touchdowns.
With their first pick in the second round coming at number 51, the Bears go straight to the defensive line, drafting Georgia Tech pass rusher Keion White. As one of the most intriguing prospects in this draft, White is relatively new to his position. He switched to defensive line just three seasons ago after playing tight end, but it’s been one heck of a decision for the kid.
White stands 6-foot-4 and weighs in around 290 pounds. He is a gifted individual, athletically. White moves unlike many defensive ends can move and has an unrelenting motor. He’s very raw, but seems as though his ceiling knows no bounds.
Last year at Georgia Tech, White finished with 7.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits and 13 tackles for loss. He’ll immediately bolster this pass rush.
With their second pick in the second round, the Bears again go defensive line here when they draft Florida 3-Technique Gervon Dexter Sr. This is a bit of a wildcard pick, but Dexter could end up flourishing into an absolutely dominant interior lineman.
There are concerns about Dexter in terms of technique, just because he doesn’t always have a clear plan or path to the backfield. Yet, when the ball is snapped, Dexter only knows one speed. He goes after it. There are times when he looks like the best player on the field, and other times where you see the need for just a bit more refining.
The Bears need a guy up front with a motor, and that’s what they get in Dexter. He’s another one with enormous potential, and if he hits, this line could change drastically in no time.
In the third round, the Bears once more go defense by selecting Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell. He’s a favorite of mine that I’ve mocked to Chicago multiple times now, and just the thought of Campbell next to Jack Sanborn is tantalizing. The only question about these two is whether or not they have the speed to play next to each other in this scheme, but both are tackling machines.
Campbell is an old school, hard-nosed linebacker that will come in and be unafraid to butt heads with anybody. In his last two seasons with the Hawkeyes, Campbell has totaled 265 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, seven passes defensed and four interceptions. The guy does it all, and would be a welcomed addition to a Bears defense lacking playmakers at the position.
In Round 3, the Chicago Bears make a bold move and trade for DeAndre Hopkins
Much of the talk this week has been around Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and the likely scenario he is traded as the team enters a full rebuild around Kyler Murray. The fact is, Hopkins will be 31 shortly. But, he’s still at the top of his game and would give this Bears offense the elite playmaker it needs. How do the Bears get him? It’s actually not too bad.
In this trade, the Bears give up a third and fifth-round pick in this year’s draft while getting Hopkins and a seventh rounder next year.
Picture this: the Bears open the season with Hopkins, Addison, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool and Cole Kmet as Fields’ top pass-catching options.
That’ll do, right?
Talk about pulling a 180 over the offseason. Just adding two players in Hopkins and Addison turns this offense around in a heartbeat. The Bears would go from being a laughing stock of offensive weapons to having one of the more potentially-exciting units in football.
In Round 4 at pick no. 93, the Bears go back to the trenches and add an offensive lineman for added protection. The TCU Horned Frogs may have gotten trounced in the National Championship Game, but hey, they got there.
This team is a team full of talented players who will end up seeing their names called on draft day, and Steve Avila is one of them. The TCU center comes to the league as a guy who could play either interior position, which would benefit the Bears greatly as they try and figure out who’s playing where next season.
The biggest reason to like Avila’s game is due to his strength. He is a man’s man that can stop most power rushers, which is something Sam Mustipher cannot say. For that reason, he’s a great fit for the Bears.
Here we are again, adding talent surrounding Justin Fields. All I can say is, training camp is going to see some straight up battles, folks.
The Bears go wide receiver again here by adding Oklahoma wideout Marvin Mims. At 5-foot-11, Mims is a bit smaller in build. But, he wins the long game. This is a guy who averaged 20.1 yards per reception last year with the Sooners, and over 22 yards per catch the prior season with Texas.
Mims is a great deep ball tracker who can also explode after the catch. To say he’s a home run hitter is an understatement. Mims is always a threat to take it to the house.
In the sixth round, the Bears start with defense by going with another Oklahoma Sooner. This time, it’s defensive lineman Jalen Redmond, who has the ability to line up at multiple positions across the defensive line. He’d be a guy the Bears could throw in as a rotational player, substituting for a few different guys if asked.
One of the reasons he’ll drop is because he’ll be a 23-year-old rookie. But, Redmond has made an impact when given opportunity over the years. Over his last three seasons played, Redmond has totaled 29 tackles for loss and 14.0 sacks.
For someone you can throw in just about anywhere up front, Redmond will be a valuable chess piece.
Again, the Bears go defense in the sixth round and grab their second Gator of the draft with linebacker Ventrell Miller. As an inside linebacker, Miller would likely serve as a special teams guy or a backup to Sanborn or Campbell, but would provide valuable depth. He’s a smart player that reads run plays quickly, which is something the Bears struggled mightily in last year.
Finally, the Bears grab a running back to pair with Khalil Herbert, assuming David Montgomery is not back. Even if Montgomery is re-signed, there’s no real reason to believe Trestan Ebner or Darrynton Evans make the team as the third back.
As Will Levis’ primary running back with Kentucky last year, Chris Rodriguez brings some explosiveness and grit to the position; something the Bears are not unfamiliar with. Rodriguez is a lot like Montgomery, in that he can be a tough, short yardage back who plunges into the end zone on goal line situations as well.
Between Herbert’s speed and elusiveness and Rodriguez’s nasty demeanor, the Bears could have another fantastic one-two punch — or even trio, should Montgomery return.