NEWSLETTER
December opens the door to mock draft season. And while we’ll see hundreds of projections, predictions, forecasts, and guesses in the 135 days between now and the 2023 NFL Draft, that the Chicago Bears have a first-round pick makes those mocks all the more interesting. Especially when the Bears are angling for a top-3 pick. And particularly when the mock drafts are as juicy as the one ESPN’s Todd McShay produced for our consumption today.
McShay’s early first-round mock draft predictions go 31 deep (remember, the Dolphins forfeited their first-rounder this year). It is an ESPN+ piece, so we’ll just highlight the top 10 for now and encourage you to read the rest later. Especially because of how the mock brings to life a whole bunch of Bears ramifications:
- TEXANS: Bryce Young, Alabama QB
- SEAHAWKS: Jalen Carter, Georgia DT
- BEARS: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama OLB
- LIONS: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State QB
- EAGLES: Bijan Robinson, Texas RB
- FALCONS: Will Levis, Kentucky QB
- COLTS: Peter Skoronski, Northwestern OT
- RAIDERS: Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech DE
- STEELERS: Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State OT
- CARDINALS: Bryan Bresee, Clemson DT
We’ll put McShay mocking stud Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson to the Bears with the third pick on the back burner for just a moment. If only to relay how awesome it would be if the draft actually played out like this for the Bears.
Don’t get me wrong. Getting the No. 2 overall pick would be the dream. But if GM Ryan Poles is sitting at No. 3 with Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud still available, then I fully expect his phone will be blowing up with texts and calls from fellow general managers like crazy. It doesn’t take much of an imagination to envision Poles dangling the third pick to the Falcons, Colts, Raiders, or another team with Stroud on the board and the Bears on the clock. Moreover, a hypothetical trade-down would leave the Bears in a great position to draft a potential star at any number of spots. Think about it.
Trading down with the Falcons, Colts, or Raiders still probably puts the Bears in a spot to take Anderson. If not, Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson and Clemson DT Bryan Bresee are high-profile, high-upside prospects at their respective defensive line positions. Alternatively, the Bears could target an offensive lineman such as Peter Skoronski (Northwestern) or Paris Johnson Jr. (Ohio State) in a trade-down situation. Should they go further down the draft board, then we’re looking at Chicago possibly targeting players like Quentin Johnson (TCU WR), Jordan Addison (USC WR), Myles Murphy (Clemson DE), Broderick Jones (Georgia OL), and a number of others. Simply put, it’ll be good to be Poles if the Bears are picking in the top 3.
And if it is Anderson, well, sign me up:
