The dust has settled on the Chicago Bears 2023 draft class and the players selected are gearing up to get started in the rookie mini camp. The Bears and general manager Ryan Poles drafted 10 players last weekend who will hopefully help the franchise turn the corner and become relevant again sooner rather than later.
The picks were as follows:
- Tackle Darnell Wright (first round, pick No. 10)
- Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. (second round, pick No. 53)
- Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (second round, pick No. 56)
- Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (third round, pick No. 64)
- Running back Roschon Johnson (fourth round, pick No. 115)
- Wide receiver Tyler Scott (fourth round, pick No. 133)
- Linebacker Noah Sewell (fifth round, pick No. 148)
- Cornerback Terell Smith (fifth round, pick No. 165)
- Defensive tackle Travis Bell (seventh round, pick No. 218)
- Safety Kendall Williamson (seventh round, pick No. 258)
Some players like Wright have been discussed at nauseum leading up to the draft. Other players like Smith and Bell, however, could be relatively unknown to the casual fan. Here is one thing to know about each Bears draft pick.
1. Darnell Wright allowed no sacks in 2022
Wright’s career highlight in college was shutting down Alabama star pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. in their matchup during the 2022 season. It’s been widely discussed throughout the draft process. But Wright also stonewalled everyone else too. The newest Bear didn’t allow a single sack all season long. In fact, he’s just one of 14 FBS offensive linemen to have played over 850 snaps and not allow a sack while also having an efficiency rating of over 99.0, according to Pro Football Focus via The Knoxville News Sentinel. It’s an impressive feat for any player, but especially one playing in the SEC.
2. Dexter racked up tackles in college
You don’t normally see interior defensive linemen post high tackle totals, but that wasn’t the case with Dexter. According to Sports Reference, Dexter had 55 total tackles playing 13 games in 2022, 23 of which were solo and four were for a loss. That’s significantly higher than Carter (32), Bryan Bresee (15), and Keeanu Benton (36) for reference. It wasn’t an anomaly either as Dexter notched 50 tackles the year before too. He also had two sacks and one interception during his final season with the Gators.
3. Stevenson has been compared to Antrel Rolle
Shortly after Stevenson arrived at Miami, he was already drawing comparisons to legendary former Hurricanes. In a ranking of the top 50 Miami players prior to the 2021 season done by The Athletic, Stevenson was compared to former NFL Pro Bowl and Hurricane safety Antrel Rolle. “He reminds me of a bigger version of Antrel Rolle,” said a scout after a scrimmage. “He’s a dynamic guy who could be a first-rounder because he’s big and physical and can play corner and safety.” Of course Stevenson wasn’t a first-round player but that’s still high praise for the new Bear. Coincidentally, Rolle finished his decorated career with the Bears back in 2015.
4. Pickens was rated as the top DT in the country coming out of high school
Pickens was highly thought of as a high school athlete. The star player from Hanna High School in South Carolina was ranked as the top recruit at the defensive tackle position, according to 247 Sports Composite. He had 87 total tackles (15 for a loss) and six sacks as a senior. Pickens decided to stay close to home by choosing to attend the University of South Carolina.
5. Bijan Robinson calls Johnson his favorite teammate ever
The duo of Bijan Robinson and Johnson was incredible on the field for Texas, but there was also a great amount of respect between the two, especially on Robinson’s part. Robinson had high praise for his teammate. “Roschon is the best teammate I’ve ever had,” he told the media at the NFL Combine via Greg Braggs Jr. of CHGO. “He brings out so much in a player and a team. Just how he goes about being a leader to not just his teammates but everyone in the community.”
Here's what Bijan Robinson had to say about Roschon Johnson: pic.twitter.com/h2DWopjMI4
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr23) April 29, 2023
Robinson finished his praise by saying Johnson is “the other great running back in this class” along with himself, of course. The Bears have shown they value character players in the draft and that was evident with the Johnson selection.
6. Scott was a Junior Olympic sprinter
At this point, it’s known that Scott has impressive speed. But did you know he has Olympic-level speed? He was a Junior Olympian when he was growing up and began running as early as preschool. Scott qualified for the Junior Olympics when he was eight or nine years old and competed in the 400-meter run where he finished fourth, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
Tyler Scott was a Junior Olympian whose track background began when he was 5-6 years old. His father was a track coach (shot put, discus). He qualified for the Junior Olympics at 8 or 9 years old and was 4th in the nation in the 400M dash, his 'money race.'
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) April 29, 2023
Scott is so fast, in fact, he was clocked at a blistering 4.29 when running the 40-yard dash at Cincinnati, according to 670 The Score’s Chris Emma. Though his official 40-yard time at the NFL Combine was slightly slower at 4.44, you can’t teach that kind of speed.
New Bears wide receiver Tyler Scott was a Junior Olympics sprinter who boasts top-flight speed. The Cincinnati program says he was once clocked at 4.29 on the 40.
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) April 29, 2023
7. Sewell was effective when rushing the passer
Sewell may have played inside linebacker and likely projects to the same position in the NFL, but he has a knack for getting after the quarterback. According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Sewell had an 18% pressure rate over his last two seasons at Oregon. That’s good for 11th out of 1,100 FBS players who have had at least 150 pass rushes. That skill is sorely needed for this defense.
Noah Sewell was predominantly an inside linebacker at Oregon but was productive as a pass rusher, too. His 18% pressure rate over the last 2 seasons ranks 11th out of 1,100 FBS players with at least 150 pass rushes.
Bears west coast scout Reese Hicks: "He’s a good blitzer.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) April 29, 2023
8. Smith shined at the East-West Shrine Bowl
Smith’s final season with Minnesota was good, but also uneven. Luckily for him, he finished the year out on a high note out in Las Vegas at the annual East-West Shrine Bowl. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith was the highest rated defensive back at the Shrine Bowl with a grade of 86.0. He was also the fastest defensive player, clocked at 21.37 MPH per Zebra Technologies. It was a standout day for him which helped boost his draft stock.
At 6’0, 204 pounds, Terell Smith has been ⤵️
📈HIGHEST graded DB at Shrine Bowl per @PFF (86.0)
💨FASTEST defensive player at Shrine Bowl per @ZebraTechnology (21.37 MPH)
🤯Ran a 4.41 40-yard/1.50 10-yard at the #NFLCombine#ShrineBowl #PathToTheDraft 🏈 pic.twitter.com/irrON04O2O— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) March 10, 2023
9. Bell is the first player drafted from Kennesaw State
When the Bears selected Bell in the seventh round, they played a part in making history. When he was selected, it marked the first NFL draft pick ever for Kennesaw State. The school has been around for decades, but just established a football program in 2015 in the FCS. They began as part of the Big South Conference but switched to the ASUN conference last season where they finished 5-6.
Time will tell how Bell’s career will turn out the next level, but he can always look back and say he was part of history.
10. Williamson was a star student off the field
Williamson excelled both on the football field and in the classroom. According to his profile on Stanford’s football roster, the defensive back earned PAC-12 All-Academic Honor Roll all for years at Stanford and was the winner of the 2021 Tommy Vardell award, given to the Stanford player who “epitomizes excellence in both academics and athletics. That was presented to him his senior year, but Williamson finished strong as a fifth-year senior. He was named a 2022 College Sports Communicators first team Academic All-American. The Bears aren’t just getting a talented athlete, but a fantastic student as well.
