Bears 2023 NFL draft primer: How to watch, mock…

The 2023 NFL draft is here, and we’ll soon meet the new rookie class of Chicago Bears.

General manager Ryan Poles will get his second crack at building through the NFL draft, where he’s armed with 10 draft picks. That includes four inside the top 64, including the No. 9 pick. This will be the first time that Poles gets to make a first-round pick.

Ahead of the 2023 NFL draft, we’re bringing you our Bears Draft Primer, where we’ve collected all of our 2023 NFL draft coverage — from prospects for every round of the draft, team needs, our predictions for Chicago’s first pick and everything in between.

The Basics

What: 2023 NFL draft
Where: Kansas City, Mo.
When:
- Thursday, April 27, 7 p.m. CT: Round 1
- Friday, April 28, 6 p.m. CT: Rounds 2-3
- Saturday, April 29, 11 a.m. CT: Rounds 4-7
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
Stream: fuboTV (try it for free)

Bears' 2023 draft picks

Round 1	No. 9
Round 2	No. 53 (from BAL)	No. 61 (from SF via CAR)
Round 3	No. 64
Round 4	No. 103	No. 133 (from PHI)
Round 5	No. 136	No. 148 (from NE via BAL)
Round 6
Round 7	No. 218	No. 258 (compensatory)

Bears' biggest positional needs

Edge rusher: Chicago had the league’s worst pass rush in 2022, where they totaled just 20 sacks in 17 games. The fact that rookie safety Jaquan Brisker led the team in sacks (4) says everything you need to know about the lack of a pass rush up front.

Defensive tackle: The Bears had the worst defensive line in the NFL least season, and defensive tackle Justin Jones was probably the only player worth bringing back as a starter. Chicago signed Andrew Billings to a one-year deal in free agency, where he’ll serve as the 1-technique as part of the defensive line rotation.

Offensive tackle: Considering the offensive line’s struggles to keep Justin Fields upright last season, the Bears need to shore up the tackle position. Right now, Braxton Jones is penciled in at left tackle, and the belief is Chicago will address tackle with that No. 9 pick.

Cornerback: Cornerback is a premier position that Poles will look to upgrade. Jaylon Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie deal, where he appears poised for an extension. Kyler Gordon is coming off an up-and-down rookie year where he started putting it together in the final stretch. But outside of those guys, the Bears need a solid CB3 for this defense.

Bears Wire Staff predicts Chicago's first pick

Alyssa Barbieri – No. 9: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Brendan Sugrue – No. 9: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
Ryan Fedrau – No. 9: RB Bijan Robinson, Texas
Nate Atkins – No. 15 (TRADE): OT Broderick Jones, Georgia
Jarrett Bailey – No. 9: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

Final mock drafts

Alyssa Barbieri shares the NFL Wire one-round mock draft.
Nate Atkins shares his final seven-round Bears mock draft.
Jarrett Bailey shares his final four-round NFL mock draft.

Final mock draft round-up

USA Today’s Nate Davis: EDGE Nolan Smith, Georgia
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Draft Network: OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee
Pro Football Focus: EDGE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon: OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee
Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
The 33rd Team: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
Pro Football Network’s Dalton Miller: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Sporting News’ Jacob Camenker: OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
Audacy’s Chris Emma: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
NBC Sports Edge’s Kyle Dvorchak: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
NY Daily News’ Pat Leonard: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Bears Wire’s Alyssa Barbieri: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Bears Wire’s Jarrett Bailey: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

What the Bears should and shouldn't do in NFL draft

DO

Trade back from No. 9, if possible
Take Jalen Carter at ninth overall, if available
Draft an offensive tackle first
Take your best player available at No. 9
Draft a cornerback
Add more weapons for Justin Fields

DON’T

Trade up from No. 9
Wait to take an offensive tackle
Forget the need at cornerback
Ignore addressing depth at key positions

Prospects for every round of the NFL draft for the Bears

Takeaways from assistant GM Ian Cunningham's pre-draft presser

Bears have 6 to 8 players at top of their draft board
Bears taking best player available approach
Trade back from No. 9 a “case by case” scenario
Bears believe Jalen Carter fits H.I.T.S. principle
What the Bears are looking for in an offensive tackle
Don’t necessarily rule out Bijan Robinson

Read our detailed takeaways here

Projected starting offense

QB	Justin Fields	LT	Braxton Jones
RB	Khalil Herbert	LG	Teven Jenkins
WR	DJ Moore	C	Cody Whitehair
WR	Chase Claypool	RG	Nate Davis
WR	Darnell Mooney	RT	Rookie
TE	Cole Kmet

Projected starting defense

DE	DeMarcus Walker	DT	Justin Jones
DT	Andrew Billings	DE	Trevis Gipson/Rasheem Green/Rookie
WLB	T.J. Edwards	MLB	Tremaine Edmunds
SLB	Jack Sanborn	CB	Jaylon Johnson
CB	Kyler Gordon	CB	Kindle Vildor/Rookie
FS	Eddie Jackson	SS	Jaquan Brisker