The 2022 NFL season is in the books, and the Chicago Bears are gearing up for an important 2023 offseason. That includes possessing the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
The Bears are expected to trade down from the first overall pick, and in doing so, are expected to receive a hefty package of picks.
The rest of the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft will have its fair share of movement, as well. With several high-profile quarterbacks reportedly available via trade, teams on the brink will bite the bullet to get their man under center, resulting in several shakeups in the draft.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at my second mock draft of the offseason cycle.
NOTE: The Miami Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick in the 2023 draft.
* denotes a projected trade
1
Indianapolis Colts (from CHI)*: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
After the season of chaos, and having a different Week 1 starter each of the last six seasons, the Colts will be desperate to get the quarterback they want.
2
Houston Texans: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
DeMeco Ryans gets a quarterback that he hopes will be his franchise guy to help drag the Texans out of mediocrity.
3
Arizona Cardinals: EDGE Will Anderson Jr, Alabama
The Cardinals are one of the oldest teams in the league, and have no juice in the trenches.
4
Chicago Bears (from IND)*: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
The Bears need a game-wrecker in their front seven. Many believe Carter to be the best player in the draft. Moving down plus still getting him would be a huge feather in their cap.
5
Seattle Seahawks (from DEN): EDGE Myles Murphy, Clemson
The Seahawks struck gold in the draft last year by filling out their secondary. Now, they need a guy who can disrupt offenses off the edge.
6
Detroit Lions (from LAR): DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson
Detroit needs more rotational pieces on their defensive line. Breese would start immediately.
7
Las Vegas Raiders: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Whomever is taking snaps needs better protection than what the Raiders provided in 2022, and Johnson is the best tackle in the draft.
8
Baltimore Ravens (from Atlanta Falcons)*: WR Jaxon Smith-Nijigba, Ohio State
This is similar to my last mock with the Ravens trading Lamar Jackson to the Falcons. With the latest report from Jeremy Fowler saying that Baltimore and Jackson are $100 million away in terms of guaranteed money, the likelihood of him being traded seems to be growing. I see them going the route of a veteran QB, whether it be Jimmy Garoppolo or using the newly-acquired draft capital to trade for Trey Lance if San Francisco decides to move forward with Brock Purdy. Whomever they have under center, though, will need weapons. Smith-Nijigba has the potential to be the dominant WR1 the Ravens have been missing for a long time.
9
Carolina Panthers: QB Will Levis, Kentucky
Frank Reich has Vietnam flashbacks from having a different veteran quarterback every year- he’s going to draft a quarterback to mold into his guy of the future.
10
Philadelphia Eagles (from NO): LB Trenton Simpson, Clemson
The Eagles only “weakness,” if you want to call it that, is their linebackers. A young addition early in the draft would make them that much stronger in 2023.
11
Tennessee Titans: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
The offensive line for Tennessee is going through some turnover. With Taylor Lewan likely not returning, they need a left tackle.
12
Houston Texans (from CLE): WR Jordan Addison, USC
Pairing their new franchise quarterback with a go-to target would be a job well done by the Texans.
13
Green Bay Packers (from NYJ)*: WR Quentin Johnston, TCU
The Packers trade Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets here, earning them an extra first round pick where they add a much-needed option at receiver to go along with Christian Watson.
14
New England Patriots: EDGE Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
With the top three receivers off the board, Bill Belichick opts to go with help off the edge.
15
Green Bay Packers: TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
Green Bay should do for Jordan Love what they never did for Aaron Rodgers- draft a ton of young weapons.
16
Washington Commanders: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
He is incredibly raw, but the athletic ability and potential will make Richardson a first round pick. Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz aren’t the long-term answers- maybe Richardson can be with a red-shirt year to watch, learn, and improve his mechanics.
17
Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Joey Porter Jr., Penn State
Steelers fans want this very badly. Porter would be a second-generation Steeler, and an immediate starter.
18
Detroit Lions: CB Cam Smith, South Carolina
The Lions’ secondary was improved in 2022, especially down the stretch, but they still need a consistent No. 1 guy.
19
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: OG O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida
The Buccaneers need a lot of retooling up front, especially between the tackles.
20
Seattle Seahawks: LB Noah Sewell, Oregon
Again, Seattle addresses their front seven- it really needs attention.
21
Los Angeles Chargers: WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
This could be looked at as a reach, but it’s doubtful Flowers will last too long into the second round. The Chargers need speed at the receiver position, and Flowers will provide that, and then some. Having him in the slot catching passes from Justin Herbert in a Kellen Moore offense would be a pleasure to watch.
22
Baltimore Ravens: CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia
With Marcus Peters likely not coming back, unless he takes a team friendly deal, the Ravens will look to get a younger CB2 opposite of Marlon Humphrey.
23
Minnesota Vikings: EDGE Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
Good lord the Vikings defense was bad. They need someone who can get pressure consistently opposite of Danielle Hunter. It feels like they’ve drafted cornerbacks in the first round for the last decade, none of which have worked out. This class is deep, though, so they focus on getting a pass rusher in the first round.
24
Jacksonville Jaguars: CB Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
Jacksonville’s secondary is full of never-say-die competitors, but they could use someone who stands out amongst the rest of the unit.
25
New York Giants: CB Clark Phillips III, Utah
The Giants’ lack of depth in the secondary was wickedly obvious in the second half of the season.
26
Dallas Cowboys; WR Josh Downs, North Carolina
Outside of CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys have zero juice at receiver. Watch the NFC Divisional game against the 49ers if you need more proof of that.
27
Buffalo Bills: RB Bijan Robinson, Texas
Yes, the Bills need offensive line help, but this class is incredibly deep where they can wait until the second round. Buffalo has tried the mid-round running back strategy multiple times and none of them have turned into top-tier backs- get Josh Allen a special player in Robinson to make this offense more balanced and dynamic.
28
Cincinnati Bengals: CB Devon Witherspoon, Illinois
It would be easy to dunk on Eli Apple here, but I’ll refrain. He’ll likely be gone, and an upgrade won’t be too hard to come by.
29
New Orleans Saints (from SAN): S Brian Branch, Alabama
Tyrann Mathieu is on the back nine of his career, and the Saints need more stability on the back end.
30
Philadelphia Eagles: EDGE BJ Ojulari, LSU
The Eagles defensive front is very good, but also needs some depth behind Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick.
31
Kansas City Chiefs: OT Broderick Jones, Georgia
Orlando Brown is a free agent in 2023, and there is a good chance he signs elsewhere.
