After finishing the 2022 season with a 3-14 record, the Chicago Bears have the No.1 pick in the NFL draft, in addition to seven other selections. Also, Chicago will likely take advantage of the opportunity to trade back, accumulating more picks in this year’s draft.
Here at Bears Wire, we counted down our top 15 draft prospects for the Bears with scouting reports for each, the team’s need for their position, and the likelihood Chicago drafts them.
See our roundup here:
15
WR Rashee Rice, SMU
Rice reminds me of a slower Brandon Aiyuk. Like Aiyuk, he is more of an athlete playing wide receiver than a pure wide receiver when evaluating the finer points of route running and releasing from the line of scrimmage.
As a wide receiver, Rice has better hands than Velus Jones Jr. and, despite being slower, shouldn’t struggle to generate yards after the catch with the ball in his hands.
14
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Smith-Njigba is the perfect fit for a team that needs an immediate impact from a slot receiver. But, unfortunately, that team isn’t the Bears. Instead, Chicago needs an elite outside threat who will take attention away from players like Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool.
Chicago could draft Smith-Njigba with the hope that he develops into that elite outside receiver. However, drafting him in the first round is a significant risk, given his lack of experience and speed.
13
WR Jordan Addison, USC
Addison fits the mold of the wide receivers Fields played with in college – athletic guys who aren’t physical but generate yards after the catch. Some scouts are even comparing Addison to one of Fields’ former teammates, Garrett Wilson.
Although he’s 15 pounds lighter than Wilson, if the Bears can find a way to move him around the formation and avoid press coverage, similar to what New York did with Wilson, the rookie might turn in a 1,000-plus yard receiving season.
12
OT Braeden Daniels, Utah
Daniels will likely immediately impact the team that drafts him. He was a key contributor to a Utah offensive line that ranked 11th in rushing yards per game and only allowed one sack per game.
The fifth-year senior is incredibly versatile, but he’s never played center which appears to be the critical area for improvement on the Bears’ offensive line. However, if the team moves on from Cody Whitehair or Lucas Patrick, Daniels could replace them.
11
OL John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
The Bears need to improve the interior of the offensive line, and Schmitz is an excellent option. He can start immediately and replace the struggling Mustipher. There are questions about his lateral quickness, but his technical ability should allow him to make the blocks in the NFL – even if they’re not pretty.
10
OL Andrew Vorhees, USC
The Bears need help on the interior, and the fifth-year senior from USC is a serviceable lineman that can play immediately. However, his “good, not great” skill set will create questions about his value, so it’s hard to see the Bears taking him in the first or second round. Therefore, the Bears will likely select Vorhees if he’s available in the third round or later.
9
DT Gervon Dexter, Florida
Unless the story on Dexter changes or Chicago falls in love with him, it’s hard to see the team drafting a guy accused of taking plays off. However, the Florida defensive lineman has tremendous upside, given his size, strength, and ability to dominate the line of scrimmage.
8
DT Jaquelin Roy, LSU
Roy has played many positions. Zero-technique (over the center), two-technique (over the guard), and three-technique (outside shoulder of the guard). At LSU, his best production came while playing three-technique. However, there are better options at three-technique than Roy that the Bears can draft early.
If Chicago is looking for depth or hasn’t taken a three-technique by the third or fourth round, the odds of Roy getting drafted will increase.
7
DT Siaki Ika, Baylor
Whether he’s put in a 3-4 or a 4-3 scheme, teams expect Ika to be a two-gap player (play both sides of the center), so he could fit the Bears 4-3.
The concern with Ika will be his conditioning. With his size, he tires out quickly. I’m not sure Eberflus will want a guy that doesn’t fit his “HITS” system.
6
DT Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
Tuli is a young player with the pass rush technique, athleticism, and motor needed to be an excellent 3-technique for Matt Eberflus’s system. The team that drafts him will be excited about his high ceiling.
But he’s a developmental prospect whose immediate impact would be on third down or in a nickel package as a pass rusher. However, the Bears need immediate contributors, so Tuli might not make the team’s big board.
5
DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson
If Bresee has good medicals coming out of the NFL Combine and his pro day, he’s shown flashes of being as elite as other defensive linemen like Jalen Carter. The junior ranked 14th on Bruce Feldman’s College Football Freaks list for 2022. According to Feldman, Bresee can bench more than 400 pounds and will run a 40-yard dash in the 4.7-range.
The question with Bresee is which version of him are you drafting, the freshman from 2020 or the guy who only played 14 games in the last two years?
4
DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
Not only does Jalen Carter play 3-technique, the premier position on Matt Eberflus’ defense, but he is also a nearly perfect prospect. He’s effective against the run and the pass, and he can rush the passer with power or finesse.
Adding Carter to the Bears is an upgrade to the defensive line, and he will contribute immediately.
3
EDGE Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
Foskey seems best suited as an outside linebacker for a 3-4 scheme. Given his comfort with playing out of a two-point stance and experience dropping into coverage at Notre Dame, a 3-4 scheme allows him to contribute immediately.
However, if a 4-3 team is willing to let him play out of a two-point stance or believes they can improve his production out of a three-point stance, he’s a high-ceiling prospect that reminds me of the 2016 sack and forced fumbles leader, Vic Beasley.
2
EDGE Myles Murphy, Clemson
As the Bears look for high-energy, hand-in-the-dirt defensive ends that can rush the passer, Myles Murphy has to be on the list. He’s a high-motor player with the versatility to play 3-technique and 5-technique for the Bears.
He is an elite prospect. There aren’t many 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive ends with his athleticism; Murphy is expected to run the 40-yard dash in around 4.5-4.6 seconds.
1
EDGE Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
It’s hard to imagine a situation where the Bears have a chance to draft Will Anderson and choose someone else. But, at 243 pounds, he is too lean for a 4-3 defensive end; he will have to bulk up. Based on his current size, he’s more of a 3-4 outside linebacker.
However, a player like Anderson, with the length, athleticism, and ability to become an elite pass rusher, requires teams to throw out scheme fit and focus on “BPA” (best player available), and that’s Anderson.
