We came in with 10 picks, and after a little trading around mid-draft, came away with 10 guys. The 2023 NFL Draft was a big one for the Bears; how’d they do?
We’ve already talked about the first pick. Trading down one slot to get essentially a free draft pick for next year, knowing we were NOT going to select Jalen Carter, was smart first off. Was Darnell Wright the best choice at OL? Per Ryan Poles and the Bears draft board, obviously he was. We will find out how Peter Skoronski and Broderick Jones, the other two guys in the discussion at that point, with Paris Johnson Jr already off the board, perform for their respective teams; that’s fine. More importantly, is how Darnell Wright will fit into our plans. We needed offensive line help; we addressed that need right out of the gate. Check.
We still needed more line help, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, so… 2 of the next 3 picks would address the defensive line. DT Gervon Dexter from Florida in the 2nd round with the 53rd overall pick, and DT Zacch Pickens from South Carolina in the 3rd round with the 64th overall pick, addressed the trenches on the defense. I don’t know one guy from the other from any other, but getting talent on the defensive line was a high priority; check. With our other 2nd round pick at 56 overall, we selected a CB Tyrique Stevenson from the U. You can never have enough cornerbacks; check. I certainly like the 2 guys from the secondary we chose last year; hoping this guy turns out the same or better.
In the 4th round, the Bears chose to address the skill positions, not that those other guys don’t have any skill… RB Roschon Johnson from Texas and WR Tyler Scott from Cincinnati at 115 & 133 respectively checked those boxes. Giving Justin Fields, the guy we are choosing to build around at the QB position as of right now, some more weapons… I can’t argue with that. The remaining 4 picks were all on the defensive side of the ball; I imagine LB Noah Sewell from Oregon, CB Terell Smith from Minnesota, DT Travis Bell from Kennesaw State, and S Kendall Williamson from Stanford were all the highest ranked player on the Bears board at that time in the draft. With so many needs across the board, it’s hard to argue with that philosophy in the later rounds.
Will all of these guys be on the Bears opening day roster? Will we sign all of these guys? I read that Poles signed 10 undrafted free agents soon after the draft was over. So a total of 20 new guys entering into the roster mix… Bring a lot of guys in, and increase our chances of more of them sticking… a numbers game really. With all the needs, with all the improvements needed on last year’s roster, I’m liking this philosophy… and we’re just getting started. Of course we had already signed and acquired some guys before this weekend, plus are in good shape already for next year’s draft…. This isn’t a one year fix all type deal, but with the swings in the NFL from year to year, I’m expecting big things THIS year on the field, and even bigger things the following years. Why not? 3-14 is why not, right? That’s in the rearview. The future is bright. Nothing I’ve seen this weekend makes me think any differently. Was I surprised the Bears didn’t take any more offensive lineman? Sure. Am I happy that we took 3 DTs and 2 guys in the secondary? Yes. We can’t fix it all in one fell swoop, but in my opinion, I think we did pretty damn good. Let the “experts” rank our draft as they’d like; the true results will play out on the field starting about 4 months from now. Can’t wait. Bear Down!!!
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