Chicago Bears: Key 2023 offseason dates to mark on the calendars
By Todd Welter
Some major programs have their pro days during March’s third week.
March 20th: Iowa will have its pro day. Hawkeyes defensive end Lukas Van Ness could be someone the Chicago Bears consider if they trade down to the middle of the first round. Tight end Sam LaPorta could be an option for the Bears in the second round.
Syracuse also has its pro day. Offensive tackle Matthew Bergeron is a player that might upgrade the offensive line on day two of the draft.
March 22nd: Ohio State hosts its pro day. Quarterback C.J. Stroud did not run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine so scouts will get a chance to clock him at the pro day instead. Also, he will get a chance to showcase his arm again after an impressive showing at the combine.
It will be interesting to see if he can perform well enough to leap over other highly regarded quarterback prospects like Alabama’s Bryce Young, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson.
While the Chicago Bears are not looking for a quarterback, the hope is a couple of QB-needy teams fall in love with one of these prospects and want to trade up to the No. 1 pick to make sure they get their guy.
Ohio State also has some pretty good offensive linemen prospects that could help the Chicago Bears. Tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones along with center Luke Wypler would be upgrades to the Bears’ offensive line. Johnson is a first-round talent while Jones and Wypler project to be Day 2 picks.
Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has caught passes from Justin Fields during their time together in Columbus. He could be someone Ryan Poles considers in the first round if he trades down.
March 23rd: Alabama will have one of its two pro days. Young will show off his arm on this day as he declined to throw at the combine. There are questions about Young’s size, but he has the arm to be a special quarterback in the NFL. Poles needs to hope Young has a great pro day so multiple teams crave trading up to make sure they get him.
Defensive end Will Anderson ran the 40 at the combine but did not participate in the bench press or vertical jump so he will most likely do those at one of the pro days.
The Crimson Tide have a couple of players the Bears could target on the draft’s second or third day. Defensive tackle Bryon Young has the size to fit into Chicago’s defensive scheme. Eli Ricks is a cornerback with good size.
Wisconsin will also have its pro day. Defensive tackle Keeanu Benton has the skills and size to bolster the defensive line.
March 24th: Will Levis did all right for himself at the NFL Combine throwing the ball. He declined to run the 40. Scouts will instead have to clock him on this day at Kentucky’s pro day. Levis is being compared to Buffalo Bills starting quarterback Josh Allen.
If Levis has a good 40 time, it could raise the love level Levis gets (try to say that fast three times).
The Chicago Bears need him to have a great showcase just like they need Stroud and Young to show out. The more teams that fall in love with these quarterbacks, the greater the bidding war becomes for the No. 1 overall pick (and even the pick the Bears trade down to).