2023 NFL draft prospects from Chicago Bears may pick
Chicagoland natives Bears may draft next week originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Ryan Poles has made it a point to add Local Guys to the Bears locker room this year. Free agent signings T.J. Edwards and Robert Tonyan both hail from the Chicagoland Area, and join fellow Local Guys Cole Kmet, Jack Sanborn and Doug Kramer. The idea: athletes who grew up watching Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman and Devin Hester will give a little extra once they have the legendary “C” on their helmet.
“There’s something to it for me,” Ryan Poles told reporters at the NFL owners meetings last month. “I think when you have pride of your local team that you grew up watching, you knew what this club meant to the city and you saw some good times with some good players, I think you’re a little bit more motivated to perform at a high level and lead, because you’ve seen guys do it at a high level before you. So I always like that aspect. I think it just means a little bit more.”
Now that we’re a week away from the draft, here are some incoming Local Guy prospects, who could become Bears.
LUKAS VAN NESS - DL - BARRINGTON
Van Ness is one of the most polarizing players projected to go in the first round. He’s got the game tape and athleticism that make some believe he could be one of the most talented defensive linemen in this year’s class. But he hasn’t played many snaps at Iowa due to their DL rotation. He did a lot with that lesser playing time, however. In 34 games, Van Ness had 13 sacks, 19 TFLs and 74 pressures.
PETER SKORONSKI - OT - PARK RIDGE
Skoronski went from Maine South to Northwestern, so he’s a Local Guy through and through. He’s been linked to the Bears for some time, as one of the most highly touted offensive linemen, in a year where Poles is expected to add protection for Justin Fields, too. But the Local Guy theory may not work as well here. Skoronski is a noted Packers fan, since his grandfather, Bob, is a Green Bay legend.
JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ - C - FLOSSMOOR
The Bears plan to try Cody Whitehair at center to start the summer, with Teven Jenkins moving to left guard. Regardless, there’s a good chance the Bears add a center of the future in the draft, and Michael Schmitz could be a great fit somewhere on Day Two. Minnesota ended the year 11th in the nation with 218.2 yards per game, and they did it with a good dose of read options, so Schmitz should feel at home in the Bears rushing attack. He boasts good athleticism and quickness in the run game to get up to the second level, but the thing Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus will love the most is Schmitz’ finish.
CHARLIE JONES - WR - DEERFIELD
Even though the Bears added DJ Moore to lead their wide receivers room, and re-signed Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis, there’s still room for Poles to add another pass catcher to the mix. Jones was a nomad in college, starting at Buffalo, moving to Iowa then finally settling at Purdue for his final season. Things finally clicked with the Boilermakers in 2022 when he caught 110 passes for a school-record 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns.
JAYDEN REED - WR - NAPERVILLE
Experts praise Reed’s ability to create separation via solid route running. The Bears will love his versatility too. The Spartans used Reed out wide, in the slot, in the rushing game and as a return man, and he’s got big play ability in every phase of the game. Over his three years at Michigan State, Reed scored 18 receiving touchdowns, two punt return TDs, one rushing TD and one passing TD on one career passing attempt.
CAMERON MITCHELL - CB - BOLINGBROOK
Similar to Skoronski, Mitchell is a double Local Guy since he went from Bolingbrook to Northwestern. He’s not the biggest cornerback, but he makes up for it with good speed and quickness. Mitchell is a willing contributor in the run game, which is a must to play cornerback in Matt Eberflus’ defense. He showed off good ball skills, too. Dating back to 2020, Mitchell had two interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 22 passes defended.
XAZAVIAN VALLADAY - RB - MATTESON
Don’t count out Poles drafting a running back at some point in this year’s draft, despite the additions of D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer. Valladay is one of the most experienced rushers in the class with 52 games played over five seasons and 841 attempts. Impressively, Valladay finished every season of his career with a 5.0+ YPC average, and had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He’s a capable pass catcher with 88 career catches for 873 yards and four scores. His best season was 2022, when he led the PAC-12 with 16 rushing touchdowns and led the Sun Devils with 1,481 all purpose yards.
ALEX PALCZEWSKI - OT - MT. PROSPECT
The Bears found an offensive tackle diamond in the rough last year, when they drafted Braxton Jones in the fifth round and he ended up starting every single game at left tackle. If they pick Palczewski they’ll hope to make it back-to-back years, but with a right tackle. Palczewski is one of the most experienced prospects in NCAA history, as he tied an FBS record with 65 starts over his college career. He didn’t participate in the NFL Combine, but if he had his 4.58 short shuttle一 which measures lateral quickness and acceleration一 would’ve been sixth-best among all incoming offensive linemen.
