Chicago Bears Mock Draft: A post-David Montgomery edition

NFL free agency has gotten off to quite the interesting start for the Chicago Bears. Some fans like to focus on the negatives, and the players Chicago has not been able to acquire.

However, general manager Ryan Poles is doing an excellent job navigating the pool of players and signing guys who will immediately make this roster better, yet also fit into his plan for the future of this franchise.

One of the moves made this offseason came by another team, but directly affected the Bears. Seeing the Detroit Lions sign David Montgomery the other day was a tough pill to swallow. But, this is the nature of the business.

Montgomery became a fan favorite, and quickly, yet running backs don’t often get paid these days. Poles allowed him to leave, and now, it’s Khalil Herbert’s job.

Still, the Bears need a replacement for Montgomery and a running mate for Herbert. In our latest mock draft, that’s part of the equation for Poles and company.

The Chicago Bears kick off this mock draft by trading back just a bit to acquire another pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

It isn’t much, but the Bears start out this draft by trading back two spots with the Tennessee Titans. Moving back to pick number 11 doesn’t take a whole lot of players off their board, and also nets them a solid value pick in the fifth round, coming in at no. 148.

After the initial free agent signings, looking at the Bears’ current needs doesn’t look as daunting. There are still some major holes to fill, but Poles’ plan comes into focus here with this type of mock.

Starting with the first and second rounds, Poles dives right into the trenches to secure some strength up front. Let’s get down to where exactly the Bears go here, initially.