With ten Chicago Bears draft picks to use this year, general manager Ryan Poles certainly had his work cut out for him entering the 2023 NFL Draft. For many who were on the outside looking in, his mission was clear. Use all of the Chicago Bears draft picks to build a talented roster around quarterback Justin Fields.
Right now, no one can say for sure whether or not his mission was a success. Those answers will only come after the players take the field and perform to the best of their abilities. We might not have a crystal ball to say exactly how all new additions will pan out, but we can take a look at who all these new faces are now that the 2023 NFL Draft has finished!
Who Are The New Chicago Bears Draft Picks?
Draft Day 1 | Round 1 – Pick 10
Ryan Poles got to work early on day one of the 2023 NFL Draft last Thursday with his first round moves. Entering the draft, Ryan Poles had already moved one of the most valuable Chicago Bears draft picks around when he traded away the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers. In the trade, the Bears received the 9th overall pick back for this year, and, well, they didn’t end up keeping it.
If anyone isn’t afraid to deal some Chicago Bears draft picks around, it’s Ryan Poles. When it came time to pick at number 9, the Bears didn’t stay on the clock long and ended up moving the pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for pick #10. The team also received a 2024 fourth-rounder in the deal.
We weren’t too surprised to see the trade, it was a scenario we had talked about previously after all. What did surprise us was that Jalen Carter was still on the board when the Bears made the move, and it was pretty clear that he was about to be a steal for whoever snagged him. Which is something the Eagles ended up doing.
The Chicago Bears draft picks are the only ones we’re concerned about though. And when the Bears were on the clock they ended up selecting Darnell Wright, an offensive tackle from Tennessee. Wright projects to slot into the right tackle position for the Bears, a spot that desperately needed some love. With a 5.01 40-yd dash time and impending 6-foot 5-inch, 330 pound size, he’s poised to make an immediate impact on the teams offensive line alongside Tevin Jenkins.
Going with an offensive lineman isn’t the most flashy of Chicago Bears draft picks we’ve seen, but these are the moves that help us take the next step in developing a Bears roster that can compete for a Super Bowl. Like Jenkins, Wright should be a foundational building block to our o-line as we look to reload this team and set up Fields for success.
Draft Day 2 | Rounds 2 & 3
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Round 2 – Pick 53
After addressing the offensive side of the trenches, the teams next selection came in the second round with pick #53 they acquired from the Ravens. With the pick, the Bears chose Gervon Dexter, a defensive tackle from Florida.
Dexter, just Darnell Wright, is another beast of a player at 6’5”, 310 pounds who can run a 4.88 second 40. He’s a solid three-technique tackle who fits the mold for an Eberflus defense perfectly. When he gets things going, his agility and explosiveness can wreak havoc on opposing teams. The question will be can he take the next steps at the professional level to really put it all together and put the effort in to perform consistently on every play.
Round 2 – Pick 56
Shortly after selecting Gervon Dexter, the Bears engaged in another trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire the 56th pick in this year’s draft in exchange for our 61st and 135th picks in 2023.
With pick #56, the Chicago Bears chose Tyrique Stevenson, a cornerback from Miami. By going defense again with a DT and CB in the second round, Poles and Co. addressed two big needs early in a draft loaded with potential talent in the early rounds. Stevenson is another solid athlete for the Bears with a 4.4 40-yard dash speed that plays physically to give opposing receivers headaches. He’s a versatile secondary weapon who could find himself playing in the slot too, but as long as he develops well, he can be an important piece to any secondary in the NFL.
Round 3 – Pick 64
If we learned anything from this year’s Chicago Bears draft picks, it’s that Ryan Poles is all business when it comes to constructing this team. With his 64th selection in the third round, Poles went with another defensive tackle in Zacch Pickens from South Carolina.
The Bears are clearly overhauling their interior d-line by going for a second defensive tackle in the early rounds of this year’s draft. Pickens, a three-year starter for the Gamecocks, is a dependable, gap-shooting player who can fit nicely into a 4-3 defense. His initial snap movements combined with his quickness and stretch should help round out the Bears pass rush nicely as he continues to develop at the pro level.
Draft Day 3 | Rounds 4 – 7
Round 4 – Pick 115
The Bears were originally set to pick first in the 4th round of this year’s draft with pick #103. But, after yet another trade, the team moved back to #115 in a deal with the Saints and received an extra selection at pick 165 for this year.
With the 115th pick, the team chose to turn back to the offense and selected Roschon Johnson, a running back from Texas. No, no, he’s not Bijan Robinson, but he did run with him at Texas and we can only assume that means something good.
Johnson, like all of the Chicago Bears draft picks before him this year, is another tough, physical athlete and football player for the team.. He should complement Herbert and Foreman well in the RB room, and could end up following in the footsteps of other young flashy Bears running backs we’ve all come to love. On top of the speed and physicality he brings, he can also catch passes, block, and even played quarterback in high school. If anything, Johnson could find plenty of success for the Bears on special teams or with any trick plays that might be drawn up for him.
Round 4 – Pick 133
The 133rd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft fell into the Bears hands after the Robert Quinn trade with the Eagles. And with the pick, they used it to select Tyler Scott, a speedy wide-receiver from Cincinnati.
Yep, it’s another weapon for Justin Fields in back-to-back picks. He might not look it at 5-9, 177 pounds, but Scott has explosiveness to turn up the field quickly and haul in the deep passes. All 14 of his touchdowns in college went for 20+ yards, which just goes to show that the blink-and-you’ll-miss-him receiver could burn secondaries if they aren’t careful.
Round 5 – Pick 148
With the 148th pick in round 5, the Chicago Bears added another Sewell brother to the NFC North when they drafted Noah Sewell. The former Oregon linebacker is the younger brother of Lions offensive lineman Penei Sewell, which means we’ll get a little family rivalry to watch twice a year.
Should he develop as a pro, Noah Sewell can be a nice middle linebacker building block for the Bears defense. He excelled at Oregon in his first two seasons, but took a step back as a junior in 2022. With his size and power, he could really attack opposing teams once he gains more knowledge and experience in reading plays.
Round 5 – Pick 165
Speed is the name of the game for the Chicago Bears draft picks in 2023, and their 165th selection is no exception. In round five, the Bears drafted Terell Smith, a cornerback from Minnesota with the 165th pick.
All the physical traits are there for Smith to succeed in the NFL with his size and speed. Should he learn how to handle all the tricks that pro receivers may use on him, he could really stick with routes and shut people down in the secondary for the Bears alongside Jaylon Johnson. Right now, the playing time will be for him to earn and win.
Round 7 – Pick 218
There’s nothing wrong with loading up on a position, and that’s exactly what the Bears did when they drafted Travis Bell with pick #218. As a defensive tackle from Kennesaw State, Bell fits the mold for the Bears like all of their other picks do this year. He’s big, fast, and very athletic overall.
He’ll obviously need to develop, but defensive tackle is an important position for any unit, and it won’t hurt the Bears to give Bell a shot to improve given all of his other traits.
Round 7 – Pick 258
The final Chicago Bears draft pick in 2023 came with Kendall Williamson, a safety from Stanford. Williamson started all five years he played in college for the Cardinals, and in 2022 notched 50 ackles which was third most on the team. Only time will tell to see how the Bears use and develop him. But, if last year’s trends indicate anything, he could find plenty of playing time. When the Bears selected safety Elijah Hicks with pick 254 last year, he played 213 snaps on special teams, giving him 15 game appearances as a rookie.
Now that the Chicago Bears draft picks are in, it’s time for us fans to sit back and wait for the rest of the offseason activities to come up on the calendar. Mini camps and OTAs are just around the corner, and before you know it, we’ll be right back into training camp and the NFL preseason before the 2023-2024 NFL season returns this fall.
Stay tuned fellow Bears fans, it’s only a matter of time before we get back into some Chicago Bears football!
Featured Image Credit: Chicago Bears Instagram
The post Introducing All Ten Of The 2023 Chicago Bears Draft Picks! appeared first on UrbanMatter.
