NFL
3-Round Bears Mock Draft After No. 1 Pick Trade
Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sportscasting in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.
All posts by Tim CreanUpdated12 Mar 2023
The Chicago Bears just shook up the 2023 NFL Draft by trading the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers. In return, the Bears got star wide receiver D.J. Moore, the Nos. 9 and 61 picks in this year’s draft, a 2024 first and a 2025 second. After making this bold move, the Bears now pick further back in the first and have an extra selection in the second. With these new circumstances, here is a new three-round Bears mock draft.
3-Round Bears mock draft
Round 1, Pick No. 9: Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
The Bears officially moved out of the Will Anderson Jr., Jalen Carter tier of the draft — where they were in the last Bears mock draft — and that’s OK. Rebuilding around one of these defensive linemen would have been great, but general manager Ryan Pole probably wished there was a cornerstone left tackle at the top of the 2023 NFL draft.
Moving back to No. 9, this Bears mock draft has the team taking that offensive lineman now. At that spot, the team should have the choice of any lineman they want, and the top choice should be the local — Park Ridge, Illinois, via Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois — Peter Skoronski.
Skoronski is 6-foo-t4, and 313 pounds, so he’s built like an NFL guard. However, he was incredible at left tackle for the Wildcats in his college career, and he left high school as a four-star center prospect.
This all means maybe Skoronski becomes the Bears’ longtime left tackle, or maybe he starts somewhere else along the line. Either way, his floor is incredibly high.
Round 2, Pick No. 54: Derick Hall II, EDGE, Auburn
The 2023 NFL Draft is deep at edge rusher, so a good one will fall out of the first round and deeper into the second, where this Bears mock draft picks up.
Auburn’s Derick Hall is 6-foot-3, 254 pounds, and has athleticism to spare. His 4.55 40-yard dash at the combine was seventh among edge-rushers, and his 10-foot-7-inch broad jump was fourth. All that is to say, he has the explosiveness to become an elite rusher at the NFL level.
Also, he is a team captain and a true leader in the locker room. An AFC scout told NFL.com that, while he has some technique issues in his game, “he’s tougher than s***, and he’s going to be a great fit in a locker room.”
Sounds like a Bears defender to me.
Round 2, Pick No. 61: Luke Wypler, C, Ohio State
While the first pick in this Bears mock draft, Peter Skoronski, can play center, the team would rather he not. That’s why taking Ohio State center Luke Wypler late in the second makes a lot of sense.
At 6-foot-3, 303 pounds, with 31 5/8-inch arms, Wypler is a little undersized for an NFL center, but he makes up for that with athleticism, strength, and technique. He was top 10 in the bench press (29 reps) and 20-yard shuttle (4.53 seconds) among offensive linemen at the combine and third in the 3-cone drill (7.64).
With Skoronski and Wypler in place with fellow youngsters Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins, the Bears will finally have an offensive line worthy of protecting a young QB like Justin Fields.
Round 3, Pick No. 64: Adetomiwa Adebawore, EDGE, Northwestern
Again, this draft is deep in the defensive linemen category, so the Bears can take another with their third-round pick. After taking a solid, high-floor EDGE at No. 54 in Derick Hall, it’s time to take a high-ceiling guy (as well as their second Northwestern Wildcat) in Adetomiwa Adebawore.
Adebawore is a tweener to some. He’s a little too short to be an ideal DE at 6-foot-2 and a little too light at 282 pounds to be a true DT. However, Adebawore is a unique athlete who could give the Bears flexibility in their defensive fronts.
The Missouri native ran the fifth-fastest 40 (4.49) at the combine, and the four who ran faster were all 20 to 40 pounds lighter. With a bit of creativity and the right coaching, Adebawore could be an impact player at the next level.
