The Chicago Bears add TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston to surround QB Justin Fields with all the talent he needs ahead of 2023.
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“CHICAGO BEARS
Round 1: WR Quentin Johnston, TCU
Round 2: EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu, USC; CB Julius Brents, Kansas State
Round 3: CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU
Offensive line is the trendy pick for the Bears at No. 9 overall, but I believe that to find out exactly what they have in quarterback Justin Fields, they need to surround him with as much talent as possible.
Adding Johnston to a group that already contains D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney would do just that. The TCU receiver forced 19 missed tackles on 60 receptions in 2022, and he graded above 70.0 in every year of his three-year college career.
Their three picks across Rounds 2 and 3 allow them to add more talent on defense, including Brents, who tested as an explosive athlete at the NFL combine in Indianapolis and allowed just 24 receptions on 449 coverage snaps this past season.”
Here’s another Bears mock from SI:
“The Bears have real needs on the offensive line, at defensive end and at three-technique defensive tackle, but because GM Ryan Poles traded away their second-round pick to Pittsburgh for Chase Claypool it's going to be difficult to marry up all the needs with the highest quality on their first three picks.
It really could devolve into best athletic available in Round 2, as the cliche goes.
It has been called a strong draft year at all of those positions the Bears need, but the elite quality talent only lasts so long.
The gap between No. 9 overall and their pick No. 53 is likely going to mean missing out on one of the better defensive tackles or defensive ends, if the Bears opt for a tackle first. If they take a defensive end first, the tackle quality is going to drop in Round 2 but perhaps not by as much.
The tackle talent at ninth overall appears too special to pass on, whether they take Peter Skoronski of Northwestern or Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr.
The only way for the Bears to make sure they get one of the top defensive tackles with their second pick if they go for an offensive tackle with the first pick is by dealing down in Round 1 again to get extra picks or by dealing up into late Round 1 by moving either 53 or 61 or 64 in a trade.
So with BearDigest mock draft 5.0, the Bears choose the second option.
Cincinnati took the Bears' 53rd pick in Round 2 and their 64th pick to start Round 3 in a trade, and let the Bears have the 28th pick in Round 1.
The deal works out on the value chart.
This guarantees a better quality defensive tackle with the second pick and a quality tackle with the first pick. It also means a less talented edge rusher would need to come later—as it turned out even later than desired.
The other way to do this would simply have been to draft a defensive tackle first.
Jalen Carter wasn't there at No. 9 in this mock and it doesn't seem a good Bears fit now anyway, after all of the revelations about the crash in Georgia and his conditioning or lack thereof at his pro day.
However, if you watch some of these mock drafts being conducted lately, defensive tackles Calijah Kancey and Adetomiwa Adebawore are surging after their combine workouts. On some mocks, Kancey has reached as high as 13th in Round 1.
It would be worth trading down for the Bears with Washington and drafting Kancey at No. 16 if he is this good, and then getting extra picks elsewhere. Unfortunately, the simulator here wouldn't let that trade work out.
So the Bears are on the clock at No. 9 in BearDigest Mock Draft 5.0, the post-free agency version.
Round 1, No. 9
T Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
They didn't time Johnson in the 40 but didn't need to because he moves like a cat. His 36-1/8 inch arms and 85-1/8 inch wingspan combine with athleticism to make him a Day 1 starter at right tackle. Mockdraftable.com likens him to D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Jawaan Taylor in terms of his measurables. He looks more athletic than both. They could simply take Skoronski and not be worse for the choice but the ideal tackle fit with Johnson makes him the pick.“
The rest is at the link below.