People keep talking about what the Chicago Bears will do in the upcoming 2023 draft. That won’t stop until it finally arrives in two weeks. However, it might be interesting to ask a simple question. What would the ideal draft look like for the Bears? Obviously, we must keep things within the realm of common sense. No Will Anderson falling to #9 or another team trading their entire draft to move up. This is about projecting a realistic draft unfolding that benefits the Bears in many ways.
Here is what I think it would look like.
- Carolina Panthers – Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
- Houston Texans – Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama
- Tennessee Titans (trade) – C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
- Indianapolis Colts – Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
- Seattle Seahawks – Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
- Detroit Lions – Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
- Las Vegas Raiders – Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
- Atlanta Falcons – Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
- Washington Commanders (trade w/CHI) – Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
If the Bears are going to get maximum trade value for the 9th pick, they need one of the top four quarterbacks to slip to them. Richardson is the perfect lure for Washington. Their head coach Ron Rivera turned Cam Newton into an MVP with the Carolina Panthers. There is no question he feels he can do the same thing with Richardson, who is the spitting image of Newton from a physical standpoint. Washington surrenders their 47th pick in the 2nd round to make this happen.
- 10. Philadelphia Eagles – Peter Skoronski, OL, Northwestern
- 11. Arizona Cardinals – Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
- 12. Houston Texans – Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
- 13. New York Jets – Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
- 14. New England Patriots – Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
- 15. Green Bay Packers – Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
16. Chicago Bears – Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
Poles couldn’t ask for a better development. Not only does he get that extra 2nd round pick he wants, but he also lands the most pro-ready right tackle in the draft. Wright was dominant for the Volunteers last season, showcasing excellent pass-protection skills. He’s an outstanding athlete for his size. This is a plug-and-play starter with the physical profile and violent mentality this regime covets. We’re not done yet, though.
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- 17. Pittsburgh Steelers – Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
- 18. Detroit Lions – Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
- 19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
- 20. Seattle Seahawks – Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt
- 21. Los Angeles Chargers – Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
- 22. Baltimore Ravens – Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
- 23. Minnesota Vikings – Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
- 24. Jacksonville Jaguars – Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
- 25. New York Giants – Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
- 26. Dallas Cowboys – Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
- 27. Buffalo Bills – O’Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida
28. Chicago Bears (trade w/CIN) – Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
The belief was always that Poles wanted to find a way to get himself somewhere into the 20-45 range to pluck from what is considered the meat of this draft class. He succeeds, packaging the 47th pick from Washington and the Bears’ own 64th pick at the top of the 3rd round to Cincinnati for the 28th pick. This enables them to jump in front of New Orleans and Philadelphia to land their desperately-needed defensive lineman.
Van Ness is a brute. He’s 6’5, 270 lbs, and a freak athlete for his size with genuine 4.5 speed. What’s even scarier is he has a case for being the strongest player in this class. Watch the video of him putting Skoronski on his back. The frightening part is this guy hasn’t polished his hand-fighting technique yet. At 21 years old, it’s clear his best days are still ahead of him. If he gets the right coaching, he can be a dominant force up front for the Chicago Bears. Not only that, but they still have their 53rd and 61st picks in the 2nd round still to come.
While I like the outcome, too many if’s here, there will certainly be a franchise type player at #9, not so much at 10-20. But you never know until the Bears are on the clock.
Serious doubt here that Van Ness will still be available at 28, as most draft prognosticators have him going ar around the 9th choice. Anyone watching the combine would likely agree with that assessment.
Will Anderson is not going in the top 5 ( Wilson by far is the best DE in the draft), Ness will not last the 28th pick, and Ive just wasted another 5 min of life reading another E.M.LN. garbage, amateur blog post. (Erik Magpie Lambert-Nagy) Although I have to give credit to the embattled copywriter for actually using his own bird brain to come up with content. Keep following those breadcrumbs Mags!
To be clear, I liked the article.
Usually don’t like your posts Gremlin and this one had nothing to do with the article, but gotta admit it’s a funny story so I gave you an up vote. At any rate, I’m enjoying Bears articles (and analytical comments) a whole lot more now that we’re headed somewhere good!