The Chicago Bears have officially begun turning their attention to 2023 as they were the second team eliminated from playoff contention this season after only the Houston Texans. At 3-10, the Bears will just be looking for development from their young players in the last four games of the season and identify which players could be long-term building blocks.
While every team is trying to win as much as possible, that was really Chicago’s goal all season. This is a roster that needs an overhaul and the new regime of general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus has their work cut out for them.
The only benefit to a losing season is that it means you are going to get a high pick in the following draft. Right now, Chicago is holding down the No. 3 spot in the draft as the Seattle Seahawks, via the Denver Broncos, are holding down the No. 2 spot.
That Seahawks pick could be traded for a haul as Seattle doesn’t need a quarterback this year given how well Geno Smith has played. The Bears won’t be in the market for a quarterback either, as Justin Fields has shown great improvement in his second season in the NFL.
Instead, in a mock draft done over at PFF, the Bears come away with defensive tackle Jalen Carter out of Georgia. This is a draft that will be full of Georgia defenders once again and Carter is likely to be the first one off the board.
Carter is pretty unanimously the second highest-ranked non-quarterback, behind pass rusher Will Anderson out of Alabama. The Bulldog interior defensive lineman has been hampered by injuries this season, but his performance in 2021 was more than enough to cement his status as a top prospect.
In the second round of that mock, the Bears get a much-needed upgrade for their offense in the form of Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. Hyatt had a monster Junior year with the Volunteers, catching 67 passes for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Chicago’s offense desperately needs an infusion of talent at the skill positions and Hyatt would provide that. Combined with Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool and former Hyatt teammate Velus Jones, the Bears would start having a nice group of pass catchers being built around Fields, who is making strides as a passer.
That would be a strong start to the 2023 NFL Draft should the board fall in that way for the Bears. Finding value in positions of need is always a good recipe for a team to come away feeling as if they had a successful draft.
