The Chicago Bears made a splash when they traded the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers. And there have been reports that general manager Ryan Poles might not be done trading back.
In a new mock draft from For The Win’s Christian D’Andrea, the Bears trade back for a second time in the first round. This time, they move back five spots with the New York Jets, and Chicago gets the No. 13 pick, No. 112 pick and a 2024 third-round pick.
With the 13th overall pick, the Bears land Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones to fill an important need at tackle.
The Bears traded back twice and still landed a top three offensive tackle to keep Justin Fields upright. In this case, they opt for the high ceiling of Jones over the steady production of local product Peter Skoronski. If Chicago feels like Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins can handle tackle duties, maybe they’d roll with Skoronski at an interior spot and potential swing tackle. But since that seems … unlikely, the UGA blindside watchdog gets the call.
Jones is still growing as a blocker but spent the last two seasons protecting Stetson Bennett en route to back-to-back national titles. He may be the most athletic tackle in his class and would be a valuable running mate alongside Fields’ scramble-heavy dropbacks. He can get out in space and clear the field, which is exactly what the Bears need.
Chicago has a gaping hole at offensive tackle, and it feels like a safe bet that their first pick will be a tackle. Jones is an athletic offensive tackle that plays with violence. He’s a solid fit for the Bears’ wide zone blocking scheme.
While Jones is relatively inexperienced with just 19 starts in college, there’s no denying the upside. He earned a 84.1 pass-blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus, in his first full season starting at left tackle for the Bulldogs. He also visited the Bears on a Top 30 visit.
