The Chicago Bears traded the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for two first-rounders, two second-rounders and wide receiver DJ Moore.
While Chicago isn’t in the top spot anymore, they’re in a prime position at ninth overall to land an impact player to help bolster the roster.
In the latest round of NFL mock drafts, there’s a consensus that the Bears will likely target an offensive tackle at ninth overall — unless Jalen Carter falls to them. It makes sense considering how free agency panned out, where the defensive line and offensive line remain the biggest position needs heading into the draft.
We’ve rounded up the latest 2023 NFL mock drafts, where most experts believe the Bears are targeting an offensive tackle at No. 9.
NFL.com: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has Chicago landing arguably the most NFL-ready tackle in the draft in Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski at ninth overall.
I love this pick for the Bears. Skoronski would be an immediate upgrade at right tackle for Justin Fields.
USA Today: CB Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
USA Today’s Nate Davis has the Bears landing an impact cornerback in Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez at No. 9.
The 6-1, 197-pound All-Pac-12 performer had four INTs and seven passes defensed in 2022 and showcased his explosive athleticism at the combine, running a 4.38 40-yard dash, posting a 41½-inch vertical leap and broad jumping 11 feet, 1 inch. The Bears, who surrendered the most points in the NFL in 2022 (27.2 per game), need help throughout their defense, though corner has been especially problematic despite the recent second-round picks invested in Jaylon Johnson (2020) and Kyler Gordon (2022).
The Athletic: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
The Athletic‘s Kevin Fishbain has Chicago landing an impact offensive lineman in Skoronski at ninth overall.
After Wilson didn’t drop, the Bears were sellers with no takers. Keeping Skoronski close to home is a fine consolation prize. Everyone knew about his technical abilities, but at the combine, his athleticism was outstanding as well, an important trait for Chicago’s scheme. Maybe tackle isn’t his long-term position, but considering how important it is to protect against the league’s great three-techniques, I see no harm in using a top-10 pick on someone who could be a Pro Bowl guard. Either way, he has the tools to be a starter for a decade.
PFF: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Pro Football Focus’s Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo believe the Bears play it safe with Skoronski at No. 9.
Skoronski has the highest floor of any offensive lineman in the draft class. It may just come at guard, though.
CBS Sports: EDGE Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco has the Bears addressing their defensive line with the addition of Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson at ninth overall.
Their defensive line needs a lot of help heading into this draft. Tyree Wilson might end up being the best edge player in this class. He does have a foot injury that has limited his offseason work some.
Sports Illustrated: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Hanson has Chicago addressing its right tackle hole with Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 9.
The Bears have added high future picks—first- and second-rounders in 2024 and ’25, respectively—to their draft capital following their trade with the Panthers. While that provides GM Ryan Poles greater flexibility in the future, adding DJ Moore via the trade with Carolina and then Johnson with this pick would put Justin Fields in a better position to succeed in the upcoming season. Johnson is ideally suited to play left tackle, given his combination of size, length and athleticism, but he started at both right guard (’21) and left tackle (’22) for Ohio State.
Sporting News: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer has the Bears choosing to protect Justin Fields with the addition of Skoronski at ninth overall.
The Bears might have an easy choice here should the edge rush options not be as tempting. They can simply look up the road to Evanston to provide Justin Fields with a major pass protection upgrade after already getting him a new No. 1 wide receiver in D.J. Moore. Skoronski, who had a great Combine from his running through his smooth positional drills, can deliver as their immediate starting left tackle with his smooth quickness and athleticism on the edge.
FOX Sports: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
FOX Sports’ Greg Auman has Chicago solidifying their offensive line with the addition of Johnson at No. 9.
This is the biggest return piece for the No. 1 overall pick, and adding the top tackle in the draft class matches up well with the Bears’ positional needs. Having added a top receiver for Justin Fields in DJ Moore, now they can ramp up the QB’s protection, with Johnson a solid upgrade on 2022 fifth-rounder Braxton Jones at left tackle.
Pro Football Network: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Pro Football Network’s Tommy Garrett believes the Bears prioritize protecting Fields with the selection of Johnson at ninth overall.
Chicago is in a prime spot here to take the first wide receiver off the board, but they opted to protect Justin Fields. I’m totally fine with that. Paris Johnson Jr. is built differently than most other humans walking this planet. While he brings a powerful punch, Johnson also has incredible grip strength and shows finesse in his hand work.
Games are won in the trenches, and the longer he can give Fields time, the more fantasy value we’re going to get out of players like DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, and even Khalil Herbert, who has a chance to be a big winner following the loss of David Montgomery. Chicago will be a sneaky fun team to watch for fantasy.
NFL.com: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
NFL.com’s Charles Davis has Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter falling to Chicago at No. 9.
The top-rated player in the draft on many boards prior to the NFL combine (off-field issues/poor pro-day workout), Carter’s “slide” stops here … with the team that may have selected him at No. 1 overall if it had not traded the pick.
NBC Sports Chicago: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
NBC Sports Chicago’s Glynn Morgan has the Bears landing one of the best offensive tackles in Johnson at ninth overall.
A natural athlete with easy lateral fluidity in and out of his sets, Johnson projects as a starting NFL left tackle. An intelligent player who executes blocks well into the second level of defenses, he’s the type of agile blocker required in today’s more open offensive style of play.
Bear Report: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Bear Report’s Zack Pearson believes it makes the most sense for Chicago to draft Johnson at No. 9.
The Chicago Bears still have needs on the offensive line including tackle. Here it makes sense to take Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
Draft Wire: RB Bijan Robinson, Texas
Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon has Chicago landing a playmaker in Texas running back Bijan Robinson at ninth overall.
Robinson might be the best offensive player in the draft, but teams don’t typically value RBs this highly. Bears GM Ryan Poles can risk it with the extra picks acquired from trading down from No. 1.
Touchdown Wire: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has the Bears taking a chance on Carter, who falls to them at No. 9.
At some point, some team is going to move past Jalen Carter’s off-field issues, and his sub-par pro day, and drop the hammer on the player who was the consensus No. 1 prospect in this draft, regardless of position, before everything started to fall apart. The Bears, who have scheduled a visit with Carter to try and figure it all out, were the NFL’s worst pass-rushing team in 2022 (their 20 sacks and 85 pressures each ranked dead last), and while the free agency addition of former Titans defensive end Demarcus Walker is a great get, it’s not enough — and if Carter can get past all this stuff and get his mind right, he has proven to be completely transformative to a defense. No team needs his talent more than the Bears, so let’s have the Bears taking that chance.
Bears Wire: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Bears Wire’s Alyssa Barbieri believes Chicago will go offensive tackle at ninth overall, and that could very well be Skoronski.
The Bears have a glaring hole at right tackle, and after not addressing the position in free agency, it feels like a safe bet that Chicago will draft a tackle with one of their first selections. In our last mock, I had the Bears taking Paris Johnson Jr., so I’m changing things up here with Skoronski at No. 9. Skoronski would be an immediate upgrade for the Bears, although there is concern about his arm length as a tackle at the NFL level. GM Ryan Poles could certainly look to trade back again in the first round – if one of his top players isn’t on the board – and load up on some additional picks in the process. But in a year where protecting Justin Fields is paramount, drafting Skoronski – or any tackle – would be a solid move by Chicago.
