The 2023 NFL Draft is set to begin in less than a week and the Chicago Bears will be looking to upgrade their roster to take the next jump in the Ryan Poles era. With 10 selections, most notably their No. 9 overall pick that was part of their acquisition of pics from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for the No. 1 pick, Chicago will have plenty of opportunities to come away with impact players.
Though the draft is exciting and teams rarely feel like they get worse after the weekend concludes, it’s extremely difficult to judge a draft class fairly without having anyone playing a game. Even one season feels unfair given how much things can change from year to year. The rule of thumb is to wait until three years after a draft is complete to give it a fair evaluation.
That three-year evaluation brings us back to 2020, where the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force and the league needed to cancel the in-person draft festivities. The grand stage with thousands of fans in attendance became Roger Goodell’s basement, where he announced picks while sitting in a large leather chair.
The 2022 #NFL Draft is 16 days away.
Here's Roger Goodell going from Day 1, to Day 2 and then Day 3 of the COVID 2020 Draft.pic.twitter.com/Ip4xZ1VUqx
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 12, 2022
Interestingly enough, the Bears had one of their strongest classes in recent memory during the virtual draft. Though they were without a first-round pick due to the Khalil Mack trade with the Las Vegas Raiders and a fourth-round pick that was sent to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Nick Foles, they were still able to grab impact players, headlined by two second-round picks. Here is how we graded the 2020 draft three years after it happened.
TE Cole Kmet: A-
- 2nd round, pick No. 43
Back in 2019, the Bears had one of the worst tight end groups in recent memory and general manager Ryan Pace sought to throw everything he had at the problem. That included selecting Cole Kmet out of Notre Dame with their first pick of the draft, the selection they got from the Raiders.
Kmet was the consensus top tight end of the draft and the first to be taken off the board. He grew in each season as a pro, going from splitting time as a blocker with an aging Jimmy Graham, to becoming the team’s top offensive weapon by his third season. He did so all without missing a single game too. He’s improved each year he’s been in the league and took big leaps in his ability as a receiving tight end this past year. Kmet led all Bears players in targets (69), catches (50), receiving yards (544) and touchdowns (seven) as Justin Fields’ top target.
The selection of Kmet was seen as a reach early on given the Bears’ desire to focus on need rather than go after the best player available. They needed to fix the tight end position even though elite talent such as safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was still on the board. But at this point in his career, Kmet is a fringe top-10 player at the position and is a prime candidate to be extended prior to the season. The selection was a success.
CB Jaylon Johnson: B+
- 2nd round, pick No. 50
The Bears used their own second round pick to bolster the secondary, picking cornerback Jaylon Johnson out of Utah. Johnson was billed as a borderline first-round prospect but fell due to injury concerns. That worked out for the Bears, who got a player who plays with an edge and relishes the chance to match up with the best of the best receivers.
Johnson has a knack for playing receivers tight and making their jobs difficult as an outside corner. He isn’t afraid to shadow the top pass catchers in the league and can keep up with most of them step for step. That was evident in his final game of the 2022 season against A.J. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles.
But while Johnson’s cover skills are solid, he hasn’t generated enough takeaways. He has just one interception in three seasons and two forced fumbles. He also has yet to play a full season, missing 11 games over three years. Granted, two of those games were due to COVID-19 back in 2021, but the other two seasons he was unable to finish out the year due to injury. Still, Johnson is one of the best defenders on the team and like Kmet, is an obvious candidate to get extended later this year.
EDGE Trevis Gipson: C+
- 5th round, pick No. 155
The Bears didn’t have another selection until the fifth round, where they chose Tulsa pass rusher Trevis Gipson. A raw talent, Gipson had the benefit of learning from two of the best pass rushers in the last decade in Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn. Gipson didn’t see the filed much during his rookie year, but when he earned more playing time during his second season, he flashed with seven sacks and five forced fumbles.
With Mack gone and Quinn on his way out, it was Gipson’s time to break out in his third year. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Gipson totaled just three sacks and 31 tackles (four for a loss) as one of the focal points on the defensive line. He had lofty expectations, but couldn’t meet them.
Gipson is still a fine player and proved to be valuable as a fifth-round draft pick. Hopefully he can recapture some of his 2021 magic during his fourth season.
CB Kindle Vildor: C
- 5th round, pick No. 163
Kindle Vildor has only been a member of the Bears for three years, but given all his ups and downs, it feels as if he’s been on the team for twice that amount of time. Vildor started his rookie season primarily on special teams, but showed promise as an open-field tackler on defense late in the year. He was a popular candidate to take a big step his next season, but wound up surrendering big play after big play through the air all year long. He was in coverage for six passing touchdowns and quarterbacks had a 136.2 rating when targeting him.
The former Georgia Southern standout looked to be on the outs after his disastrous season, but bounced back in Eberflus’ system. Vildor improved as a pass defender, getting the first interception of his career, and continued impress as a run defender. He totaled 34 tackles (two for a loss), one interception and five passes defensed in 2022.
Entering the final year on his rookie deal, which Vildor will show up in 2023? Assuming the Bears continue to bolster their defensive line, probably closer to his 2022 self. He’s an average cornerback but for a fifth-round pick, you can live with that.
WR Darnell Mooney: A-
- 5th round, pick No. 173
The Bears closed their trio of fifth-round picks with an absolute gem in Darnell Mooney. The wide receiver class was strong in 2020 and even though the Bears didn’t have the draft capital to land someone like CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, or Tee Higgins, they weren’t left empty handed with Mooney. The receiver out of Tulane quickly shot up the depth chart, taking snaps away from veterans Anthony Miller and Ted Ginn Jr. By the middle of the year, he was the team’s WR2.
Mooney’s role only elevated in his sophomore season, eclipsing 1,000 yards and scoring four touchdowns while becoming the team’s top option, albeit on a bad offense. Though he was unable to become a true WR1 in 2022 and had his season end prematurely due to an ankle injury, Mooney is a key component of the Bears offense going forward. He could become the first wide receiver drafted by the team to sign a multi-year contract extension since Earl Bennett over a decade ago.
OL Arlington Hambright: D+
- 7th round, pick No. 226
Arlington Hambright may not have been long for the Bears, but his name still brings a smile to Bears fans everywhere. The Bears took a shot on Hambright in the seventh round and he saw action in nine games and even got one start his rookie season at guard. He was on the practice squad in 2021 and is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Hambright was a longshot to become a meaningful contributor anyway but only lasting one season is still a bit of a letdown.
Lachavious Simmons: D
- 7th round, pick No. 227
The Bears decided one offensive lineman in the seventh round wasn’t enough and doubled down, selecting Lachavious Simmons just one pick after Hambright. Simmons, like Hambright, saw very little playing time and started just one game in his career. That game turned out to be a disaster. The start was in 2021 against the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Simmons was badly bullied, allowing multiple sacks before getting benched midway through the game. He was released prior to the 2022 season and is now with the Arizona Cardinals.
Simmons and Hambright have similar career paths since entering the league, but the former gets the lower grade due to his terrible spot start.
