Will Anderson Could Be in Play for the Bears at the Top of the 2023 NFL Draft

It would have been difficult to find a silver lining on Sunday, if the loss didn’t position the Bears for the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. In what feels like blink of an eye, the Bears’ draft position has gone from fringes of the top-10 to a virtual lock for the top-5. And that’s a perfectly fine outcome for us at this point in the season/rebuilding process.

We’ve got a ways to go before Chicago’s football team locks in its pick spot in the 2023 NFL Draft, but the signs so far are encouraging.

  • According to Football Outsiders, the Bears have a 72.2 percent chance at landing a top-5 pick. Only the Texans have higher odds.
  • According to ESPN’s FPI projection, the Bears are likely to pick third, just behind the Texans and Seahawks. And only a tiny 0.1 loss margin separates the Bears and Broncos, so Chicago could still slide into that second spot.
  • In any case, the Bears control their own destiny. And as we approach December, there is nothing a team wants more … Especially when that destiny could lead you to stud Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson.

    Did you see what Anderson did this weekend against Auburn in the Iron Bowl?

    A fearsome pass-rusher on one of college football’s best teams, Anderson has long been viewed as the best non-QB prospect in this upcoming class.

    The 6-4, 245-pound edge rusher has 32.5 sacks and 55.5 tackles-for-loss over the last three seasons. He is a game-wrecker. Someone who has been causing havoc against SEC schools for years. And a player whose departure college QBs are desperately awaiting. I imagine SEC teams are looking forward to Anderson leaving for the NFL as much as I look forward to devouring something that isn’t turkey after three days of post-Thanksgiving leftovers.

    And when it comes to the Bears, picking second overall puts them in a pristine position to pick Anderson. If they don’t trade back, of course.

    Seriously, how can you not want to draft THIS GUY:

    Plenty can change between now and NFL Draft weekend. But you might as well get to know the name Will Anderson now. We’re going to be hearing a lot of it between now and the last weekend of April.

    written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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