We’ve spent months debating what may happen when the 2023 NFL Draft starts for real this Thursday. Will Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud be the first quarterback off the board? Will Jalen Carter come off the board with a top-five pick despite legal troubles? For the Bears, will they go offensive line, or defensive line with the No. 9 pick? Or will they trade back.
It seems like every possible permutation has been discussed, and yet, there will be some surprise that no one expects. It happens every year, and this year will be no different.
So in this latest mock draft, just when you think you’ve seen everything, that’s what we’re going to explore. What happens if things go a little wonky? How could that affect the Bears’ draft board, and Ryan Poles’ decisions? If some of the picks look a little different, that’s because they’re meant to be.
As always, these mock drafts aren’t an attempt to accurately predict what will happen when the picks start coming in for real. That’s impossible. These mock drafts are meant to be a fun way to introduce fans to a wide variety of NFL prospects, and draft scenarios. So please, enjoy.
NO. 9: DEVON WITHERSPOON - CORNERBACK - ILLINOIS
The curveballs came early for Poles and co. Before the Bears ever made it on the clock, two of the top offensive tackle prospects came off the board (Peter Skoronski and Paris Johnson), as did Jalen Carter and all four of the most highly touted QBs (Young, Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson). Poles really wants to trade back to acquire more picks, but with all that talent already gone, nobody’s interested in moving up. Resigned that he’ll be unable to make a move, Poles looks at his board and takes the highest-graded player left. It’s Witherspoon.
Witherspoon is a heady player with the instincts to play well in a zone scheme, and the talent to play in man coverage. Last season he was nearly unbeatable and gave up just 22 catches on 62 targets (35.4%) and a 25.3 passer rating when targeted, per PFF. Witherspoon didn’t allow a touchdown all year, and notched three interceptions. Adding Witherspoon also allows Kyler Gordon to focus on playing slot, where he improved as the year went on. With Witherspoon, Gordon and Jaylon Johnson all together, the Bears will also field one of the most formidable, young secondaries in the league.
NFL
NO. 53: KEEANU BENTON - DEFENSIVE TACKLE - WISCONSIN
Since Poles didn’t address the trenches with his first-round pick, he’ll have serious work to do throughout the rest of the draft to beef up both the OL and the DL. That begins with Benton. He’s certainly a beefy guy, at 6’4” and 305 lbs, but he’s athletic too. Benton’s 5.08 40-yd dash was the second-fastest among 300+ pound DTs. He’s exactly the type of player Matt Eberflus wants due to his relentless motor. Benton fights to shed blocks and will pursue the ball until the bitter end. He’s got some position versatility, too, and played both nose tackle and three-tech throughout his college career.
NO. 61: NATHANIEL DELL - WIDE RECEIVER - HOUSTON
Poles hoped to grab an offensive linemen here, but another run at the position dashed those chances. There’s good value for a cornerback, but with Witherspoon already in tow the Bears want to look elsewhere. They land on Dell, who is a big time playmaker and will help elevate the offense, even with DJ Moore, Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney set to be the top three WRs. Dell’s size may scare some GMs, and that’s probably the sole reason he’s available at the end of the second round. He’s only 5’10”, 165 lbs., but with Claypool filling the big-bodied “X” receiver role, it doesn’t matter for the Bears. What does matter is that he uses his top-end speed and elusiveness to create separation, and can score whenever he has the ball in his hands. He’s also been the most productive WR in the game over the past two years. Dell’s 101 ypg average and 29 touchdowns led all receivers since 2021, per the Athletic. He can help out as a return man on special teams, too.
TRADE!
The Bears don’t want to reach too much for an offensive tackle, and they finally find a willing trade partner. Poles sends the Nos. 64 and 258 picks in this year’s draft to the Raiders in exchange for Nos. 70 and 109. Poles is thrilled, because he’s confident the OT he’s got circled will still be on the board six picks later, and improves one of his picks by nearly 150 slots.
NO. 70: BLAKE FREELAND - OFFENSIVE TACKLE - BRIGHAM YOUNG
Some may expect Freeland to be available even later, but after missing out on so many other prospects earlier, Poles is taking no chances. Freeland is both reliable and experienced as an outside lineman. He earned a starting job part way through his true freshman season with the Cougars, and started 41 games over his four years at BYU. He was at right tackle for 15 of those starts between 2019 and 2020, and at left tackle for 26 starts over the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Most importantly, Freeland only surrendered one sack in 1,129 pass blocking snaps from 2020-2022, according to PFF.
NO. 103: KARL BROOKS - DEFENSIVE END - BOWLING GREEN
The three-tech defensive tackle is described as the engine of Eberflus’ defensive line, but the Bears need pressure from the edges too. We know Poles values impressive Senior Bowl performances among all the college prospect showcases based on his comments from last season, and Brooks was one of the buzziest defensive linemen from this year’s event. He earned praise for his ability to shed blocks with his hands, and his pursuit through the play. Brooks notched 20 sacks over the past two seasons, and added another in the Senior Bowl.
NO. 109: WANYA MORRIS - OFFENSIVE TACKLE - OKLAHOMA
The Bears will not be satisfied adding just one player at positions of serious need, like offensive tackle. So even though they added a player at the position in the previous round, they’ll go back to the well if they really like a player on the board. Morris is a raw talent, with few snaps under his belt compared to other players, but he’s an intriguing prospect based on his measurables alone. Some off field issues, including an academic suspension to start 2022 have him slide down the board a bit, too. But the Bears believe he can flourish with tutelage from offensive line coach Chris Morgan, and guidance from team captain Cody Whitehair.
NO. 133: KOBIE TURNER - DEFENSIVE TACKLE - WAKE FOREST
Turner brings some positional versatility to the Bears defensive line, with experience playing both nose tackle and in the b-gap. He’ll help the team the most as a run stuffer, with the ability to soak up a block for linebackers behind him to run free. Turner never quits on a play, and often makes tackles in pursuit from the backside as running backs hesitate. The Bears will also love that Turner has had to fight for every opportunity in his college career. He started as a walk-on in Richmond, earned a scholarship the next year, then transferred to Wake Forest where he proved he could hang against stiffer competition in the ACC.
NO. 136: JUICE SCRUGGS - CENTER - PENN STATE
The Bears will give Cody Whitehair the first chance at center this year, to see if he can regain his Pro Bowl form at his former position. If it works, great. But the Bears will still need to find their center of the future. If it doesn’t, then the Bears will need a Plan B. So, no matter what, it will be prudent for the Bears to add a center in the draft. Scruggs is familiar with zone rushing schemes like the one the Bears use, since that’s what the Nittany Lions deployed. Scouts praise his strength and football IQ, too, which are musts at the position.
NO. 148: VILIAMI FEHOKO - DEFENSIVE END - SAN JOSE STATE
Poles was determined to add lots and lots of competition on the defensive line over the weekend, so it’s not surprising that he drafted four guys to bolster the room with top-150 picks. Fehoko racked up sacks, and accolades, in the Mountain West. Dating back to 2019, he had 23 sacks, 47 TFLs, 11 passes defended, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was named All-Mountain West First-Team in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and won Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year last year. All that production and all those accolades are more than enough to see what he can do at the next level.
NO. 218: MOHAMED IBRAHIM - RUNNING BACK - MINNESOTA
Poles wanted to bring David Montgomery back, but Montgomery opted to sign with the Lions. So Poles will try to replace what Montgomery brought to the field with Ibrahim. The Golden Gopher doesn’t have breakaway speed, but he’s a physical runner who runs through contact and seems to always fall forward. He was a bellcow at Minnesota, so he should have no workload problems in the NFL. Ibrahim broke 20 school records, including six single-season records in 2022. Those included most rushing yards in a season (1,665), most rushing TDs in a season (20), career rushing TDs (53), career 100-yard games (24) and consecutive 100-yard rushing games (19).