2023 NFL mock draft roundup: Bears trade down from No. 1 pick for a haul

This has turned into an absolute dream scenario for the Bears. Head coach Matt Eberflus gets the best defensive tackle prospect of the PFF college era (since 2015 draft). Carter is the three-technique they’ve been looking for, one who earned a 91.0 run-defense grade and a 90.0 pass-rushing grade in 2022.

Is it too early to project a trade? With Justin Fields having quelled many concerns from his rookie year and a slew of teams throughout the top 10 in need of a quarterback, Bears GM Ryan Poles could try to drum up a bidding war here. If Chicago stands pat, however, Anderson is more than deserving of the No. 1 slot. The Crimson Tide’s first two-time unanimous All-American would have had a compelling case to be the top selection in 2022 had he been eligible, and he’s drawn comparisons to Von Miller for his explosive pass-rush prowess. That package is no doubt enticing for a defense that tallied an NFL-worst 20 sacks this year – just 2 1/2 more than Anderson notched on his own in the 2021 campaign.

The Bears have a lot of options at this point in the NFL mock draft. They could take the WR1 on their board (Quentin Johnston/Jordan Addison), they could take one of the remaining offensive linemen (Paris Johnson Jr./Peter Skoronski) to help protect Justin Fields, or they can take the last tier-one edge rusher in Myles Murphy. While new-ish GM Ryan Poles is an offensive lineman by trade, he’s valued young, star defenders above everything else so far. Maybe that trend changes, but with a tier drop at the position coming, Murphy is the pick.

In the slide back, the Bears get this pick — the Colts’ second and third-round picks in 2023 and a first and second and fifth in 2024. Skoronski isn’t a Tristan Wirfs-esque tackle, but has quality athleticism and tremendous pass-protection film in 2022.

This is an ideal scenario for the Bears, who get a massive haul of additional draft picks to move down a few spots, and still end up with one of the prospects they could have happily taken at No. 1 overall. Carter is a disruptive force at the point of attack, and would make an immediate impact for a defensive front desperate for playmakers.

Here, the Lions give up the sixth overall pick (which they got from the Los Angeles Rams along with Goff in the Matthew Stafford trade), and their own 18th pick, along with their 2024 first-round pick, for the privilege of moving up to first overall and taking Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

In the most unsurprising move of the offseason, Poles plays the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans against each other to get maximum value for the No. 1 pick.

In the end, Colts general manager Chris Ballard forks over the No. 4 and No. 36 pick in the 2023 draft, the Colts’ 2024 first-round pick, and 2024 second-round pick for the No. 1 pick.

The Bears slide down to No. 4 and watch Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud go 1 and 2 before the Arizona Cardinals select Jalen Carter at No. 3.

This leaves Poles with a no-brainer decision, grabbing Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson to be the lynchpin of the Bears’ new-look defensive line.

Scouts believe Anderson has a Von Miller-level ceiling at the NFL. He can be flat-out unblockable at times and was arguably the best player in college football over the past two seasons.

If a team covets one of the top quarterbacks, there is a good chance the Bears will trade out of this spot. However, if they  make this selection, they need to get a playmaker on defense who can get to the quarterback. Even though Anderson’s  statistics were down this season after having 17.5 sacks and 31 tackles for a loss as a sophomore in 2021, he is a legitimate top-tier playmaker who still produced 10 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss in 2022.

In all likelihood, we will see this pick traded by the Chicago Bears, but in this mock, we have not done any trades. The Bears seem unlikely to go for a QB with Justin Fields. Therefore, in this scenario, there are a couple of potential options at EDGE for the Bears if that is the direction they decide to go. With Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn gone in the last 12 months, either Will Anderson Jr. or Myles Murphy is in play here.

In terms of their fantasy value in IDP leagues, a lot will depend on where these EDGE prospects get drafted and the scheme they end up playing in. For example, Aidan Hutchison was drafted by the Detroit Lions, classed as a defensive end, and finished 26th at the position in terms of PPG as a rookie. In contrast, Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was classed as a linebacker on the New York Giants, averaged more PPG than Hutchison but finished as the LB60 in PPG.

For the Bears’, this is tricky. They used both 4-3 and 3-4 concepts last year, so their positional assignment could vary from league to league. Before selecting EDGE players in your rookie draft, check out your league’s specific rules.

The Bears appear to be a team headed in the right direction (Week 18 notwithstanding) in large part because they’ve found their franchise QB in Justin Fields. But there’s a lot of work to do on the other side of the ball after moving on from Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith. Both Jalen Carter and Will Anderson Jr. could be options here, and both are layup selections. Or the team could choose to trade out of the No. 1 pick should there be interest from QB-needy teams looking to move up.

The Bears, picking first overall for the first time since 1947, shouldn’t need to consider QB with the passing and running ceiling of big-armed Justin Fields. The ideal scenario is trading down for extra first-down selection power with a team looking to jump the Texans for a particular franchise QB. If the Bears stay, they should look to get familiar defensive pop.

Getting this cornerstone pass rusher and active all-around playmaker is great call. Anderson would give them a new Khalil Mack after also saying goodbye to Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith on the second level.

The Chicago Bears need to do everything in their power this offseason to build around their electrifying quarterback, Justin Fields. Yet that approach shouldn’t blind the team to what else is available.

With the first overall pick, the Bears are better positioned to select an elite defensive talent rather than make a slight reach for someone to help Fields on the other side of the ball.

Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. is the top-ranked prospect for the entire 2023 class. Had he been eligible, his name would have likely been called with the No. 1 pick in the ’22 draft. With suitors potentially clamoring to trade up and select one of the quarterback prospects, the Bears should still stand pat and land a defensive game-wrecker of the highest order.

At 6’3″ and 193 pounds, Johnston has tremendous size with 4.4 speed. A prototypical NFL receiver. The TCU prospect is a tremendous deep and jump ball threat who can also generate yards after the catch.

The combination of Chase Claypool and Johnston will create two big-body, red-zone threats for Fields.