The Chicago Bears failed in the most ideal way possible last season. They finished with the worst record in the NFL, and still found a way to unleash breathtaking athleticism from Justin Fields. The quarterback that they traded their first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for took a leap during his first year in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense. As a whole, however, having the worst record in the league means that the Bears need an infusion of talent. Chicago traded its No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers — who were set to pick ninth — along with a 2023 second-rounder, and 2024 first-rounder, and also acquired D.J. Moore to be its top wide receiver. The Bears also signed Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards in free agency to fortify their linebacking corps after trading Roquan Smith. Starting Thursday, the Bears have significant draft capital at their fingertips to continue with one of the most important roster overhauls in franchise history. Here are some options that they have in the 2023 NFL Draft. No. 9: Jalen Carter source: Getty Images He has been graded by some experts as the best player in this draft. This former five-star recruit has all of the physical tools to be one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL, a position group that the Bears very much need to improve. That group is also thin on talent in this draft. However, if he even falls to the No. 9 overall pick, it’ll be due to his well-documented off-the-field troubles, and/or his poor Pro Day performance. True special talents are few and far between. It would be difficult for the Bears to pass up this one if he is available, but Carter is a player they would have to monitor on a regular basis at least during his first couple of seasons. No. 9: Paris Johnson Jr. source: AP He is considered the best offensive lineman in this draft. While 2022 seventh-round pick Braxton Jones was a pleasant surprise at left tackle last season, the Bears should draft a better player if they have the opportunity to. Larry Borom was both injured and disappointing in 2022 following a solid 2021 campaign. Maybe moving Jones to the right side and Johnson to the left best fortifies the tackle positions. Or maybe Jones stays on the left side and Johnson plays on the right. Johnson would be on a rookie salary so it’s not like it would be a waste of money. No. 9: Pete Skoronski source: AP Skoronski is not the typical top-10 NFL Draft pick. For one, he is not from one of the Big Ten offensive linemen factories like Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, or Ohio State. He went to Northwestern. Also, there are concerns about his arm length — nearly a full four fewer inches than Johnson. However, it is Skoronski who won Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the year, not Johnson. Skoronski also recorded a 34.5-inch vertical jump at the combine. I know that offensive linemen aren’t asked to throw down windmill dunks, but that is proof of elite athleticism. Some teams would want to move him to guard. It’s a wasted pick if the Bears do that. If they feel that he can play tackle he needs to be seriously considered. No. 9: Trade backBears GM Ryan Poles source: AP The Bears’ offseason has gone quite well, but that doesn’t mean a couple of home-run draft picks are going to vault this team to the top of the NFC North — even with Aaron Rodgers’ departure from the Packers. This team still needs to fortify multiple position groups in order to build a viable contender. If the Bears are targeting one player in particular and he is off of the board before their first-round pick then they should absolutely trade out of it. They have two second-round picks but they are low. Maybe they ship out No. 9 and both stay in the first round and gain a third second-round pick. Quantity is important for the Bears, because they need to perform much better on the field than they did in their tear-down 2022 season. No. 53: Derick Hall source: AP An ideal project for Matt Eberflus. Hall is long with big hands, and ran a 4.55 in 40-yard dash at the Combine. All reports are that he already has a tremendous work ethic and possesses strong leadership characteristics. His problems are in technique and reading plays. He doesn’t always react well when he has to read and react in the running game. The Bears do play a 4-3 so he will have to hold down the edge, but they can coach that. Eberflus is supposed to be a defensive mastermind, so he should be able to make a fearsome NFL pass rusher out of Hall. No. 53: Byron Young source: AP He does not have the size of Hall but he is even more explosive. Young ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and recorded a 38-inch vertical leap at the combine. As a senior at Tennessee he — like Hall — was a first-team All-SEC performer. Unlike Hall, Young is 25 years old. For him to be three years older than Hall and have some even more glaring technical deficiencies is concerning. Then again, Young had to travel a much different road than Hall. He was working at a Dollar General when he attended an open tryout at Georgia Military College, three years after his 2016 high school graduation. His career was again interrupted by COVID in 2020. He got to Tennessee in 2021. If Young can get from Dollar General to first-team All-SEC, maybe with some more coaching Eberfluss can find a star. No. 61: Joe Tippman source: AP Performance at center has been unsatisfactory for the Bears for quite some time. Sam Mustipher has had his struggles. They signed Lucas Patrick last offseason to potentially play that position last season, but he broke his thumb and couldn’t grip the ball, and then when inserted back at that position he suffered a season-ending foot injury. What the Bears absolutely need to avoid next season is pressure up the middle if they want Justin Fields to take another step forward. Tippman is tackle-sized at 6-foot-6, 313 pounds, but started for two seasons at center for Wisconsin. Maybe he’s too big, or maybe he is the forcefield that Fields needs to feel more confident in the pocket. No. 61: Tyrique Stevenson source: AP The Bears spent a great deal of 2022 draft capital on their defensive backfield, but there is no such thing as too many cornerbacks. Stevenson was rated the No. 3 corner in America coming out of high school according to 24/7 Sports. He began his career at Georgia and finished at Miami (Fla.) At the combine he measured at 6 feet, and nearly 200 pounds. A good-sized, athletic cornerback can always find work in the NFL. If the Bears end up with one of the deeper defensive backfields in the league, they will be fine with that. No. 53 and/or No 61: Trade Poles source: AP Again, this team is more than a tweak or two away from being one of the top teams in the NFL. Being that this is the most important draft in recent franchise history, the more at-bats they get the better. Relatedfree betting calculatorsparlay payoutmoneyline odds calculatorsports betting half pointskelly bet calculatorhedge betting calculatorbetting the spreadunder points bettingparlay betting strategybetting on round robinplus ev bettinghedging sports wagers
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