Bear Digest

Report Card for Full Bears Draft

The inability to draft a defensive end costs the Bears a full letter grade in this draft, but they managed to pull themselves out of a bad situation with some solid picks.

Gene Chamberlain

In this story:

Ryan Poles and staff have already actually begun to look at who will be available in next year's draft.

Poles said this at the end of his postdraft press conference.

Maybe they can find a defensive end then.

It was the one glaring problem with their 2023 draft class. On the official glaring scale, it was probably akin to the sun.

They offered some explanations no one will be satisfied with and ultimately it's very possible Poles has another plan with a short-term contract for one of the hired gun edge rushers who populate free agency every year, or even a trade. Washington's Chase Young is reportedly available via trade, in case he hasn't heard.

Then again, Young had a pretty bad knee injury in 2021 and tried playing last year without a lot of success, so perhaps that's one best left to medical people first.

For this one glaring weakness alone, the Bears automatically will get downgraded badly. They lose a full letter grade straight out of the chute.

When Trevis Gipson led defensive ends with three sacks and Dominique Robinson is second with 1 1/2 and the other two sacks came from two players no longer on the team—Robert Quinn and Al-Quadin Muhammad—then you'd have though this would have put edge rusher atop the list of needs. At the very least, it was No. 1 once they took care of right tackle in Round 1 with Darnell Wright.

It is true they signed DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green, but Walker actually was better rushing out of the tackle slot. They are stout ends who can stop the run and maybe collect a few sacks provided they really do have their three-technique problems solved. But the sack machine waiting to wreak havoc is missing.

Here's how they did with the picks in this draft, their one major bit of negligence aside.

Round 1

No. 10 T Darnell Wright: A-

Poles twice called him the best tackle in the draft. It's not what the Arizona Cardinals thought. They traded back to No. 6 just to get Paris Johnson Jr. first. So give a very minor deduction for this. However, Wright is a physical tackle with quick feet and if you're going to have a 333-pound tackle it's best at right tackle, where the mauler usually lines up. Wright's status as a real leader and well-liked teammate is also a big plus for a young team trying to build a locker room. To top it off, the Bears got an extra fourth-round pick next year from the Eagles for moving back one spot and they still got the guy they wanted. If it's me, I'm taking Jalen Carter and then no one has to ask why they didn't draft a defensive end because the quarterback is running for his life from the defensive tackle pass rush. But it's difficult to argue against Wright.

Round 2

No. 53 DT Gervon Dexter, Florida: C-

Some websites were giving the Bears "F" grades for this pick. That's stretching it. But best player available would have been either receiver Rashee Rice or center John Michael Schmitz, or they could have taken Tyrique Stevenson and saved themselves the hassle of trading away a fifth-round pick at No. 136 to move into position to get Stevenson at 56. Dexter is also a project type who hasn't played that long, and projects are usually best saved for later rounds. It really hurt when Keion White was taken by the Patriots at No. 46. He would have been an ideal 4-3 edge in the Bears scheme. As for Dexter himself, he has really good height and that's rather unusual for a three technique. It might cause some problems. Whether he has the quickness for that position is open to interpretation.

Round 2

No. 56: CB Tyrique Stevenson: A+

They need another cornerback, they wanted this one and were willing to move up and go after him. The only concern with Stevenson was he couldn't make it at Georgia and went to Miami. Well, that's fine because the Georgia defense is better than the Bears defense. Stevenson has length like they like and very good speed, with scheme versatility. They'll put him in Kindle Vildor's left cornerback spot in the nickel package while playing Kyler Gordon at nickel cornerback. In the base, Gordon would be at left cornerback, provided he can beat out Stevenson. Remember, Gordon, Stevenson and Jaylon Johnson are all second-round picks so no one has a pedigree advantage here.

Round 3

No. 64: DT Zacch Pickens, South Carolina: B-

Pickens has some real three technique qualities and can play nose, as well. Apparently they didn't like the Byron Youngs as edges because both were available and one went to the Raiders and the other the Rams within a few picks. Pickens is an athletic big man who definitely will help with line depth and makes their defensive front more stout. He doesn't have the height like Dexter but has a very powerful base and is athletic enough for Round 3.

Round 4

No. 115 RB Roschon Johnson, Texas: A+

Johnson would be a household name by now if not for Bijan Robinson playing there. He can be an ideal one-cut runner for this blocking scheme, and can punish tacklers. He also has the versatile all-around skill set they're lacking in Khalil Herbert and D'Onte Foreman. It would not be a surprise if he's the starter by midseason. He pass blocks and catches passes. And if he's not a starter, he willingly plays special teams. They also get extra credit here for trading back from 103 and getting back a fifth-round pick after giving one away earlier to move up for Stevenson.

Round 4

No. 133: WR Tyler Scott, Cincinnati: B+

It's true he has great speed and quick feet for the slot and excellent hands, but all we heard for 17 weeks last year was how imperative it was to have good blocking from wide receivers and that's why they like bigger receivers. Instead of Scott, they could have drafted K.J. Henry, Clemson's 251-pound edge rusher who ran 4.63 in the 40. He'd have been someone they could have turned loose in passing situations. As for Scott, he is explosive and it's good that they at least thought about getting Justin Fields another receiver option. Another positive according to Bears scouting, is that Scott played gunner very effectively on special teams. They can always use this. Also, their receiver corps really was anemic last year when Darnell Mooney went out and Scott can play the position Mooney does. Hmmmm. Isn't it strange they drafted two cornerbacks and a slot/Z-wide receiver when both Mooney and cornerback Jaylon Johnson are out of contract after this year. Hmmmm.

Round 5

No. 148 LB Noah Sewell, Oregon: B+

The best thing about Sewell is he's another big linebacker who can hit and not one of these 222-pound fast guys who get plowed into the ground by a fullback. Sewell is not only 246 pounds but he also ran a 40 time faster than Jack Sanborn and T.J. Edwards at 4.64. He also has come up in a family where their father was a football coach and his brother Penei is a surly Lions tackle. So, he's got football in his blood. It wouldn't be a shock if he's the starting strongside linebacker on opening day even if they have Sanborn slated for it now. The only reason Sewell doesn't rate an A is they could have drafted Mike Morris, a Michigan defensive end who is in exactly the size range (275 pounds) of players they want at that spot, and they didn't necessarily need a linebacker. Although, it doesn't hurt.

Round 5

No. 165: CB Terell Smith, Minnesota: A-

At No. 165, you're usually not going to find a cornerback with top 9% arm length for all corners and top 22% for the 40 time like Smith but they did. At just over 6 feet and 4.41 in the 40, he's a solid Day 3 choice. His composure and coverage ability are solid for a player this late in the draft. This is good use of a pick the Bears didn't have but got in the trade back from the top spot of Round 4. The only slight criticism is this was an ideal spot to get a third tight end, which they needed. They never did draft one but Purdue's Payne Durham was available here and they had visited with him at Halas Hall.

Round 7

No. 218: DT Travis Bell, Kennesaw State: C+

Another three technique/one technique and a guy they called a wonderful locker room addition and character guy. To hear Ryan Poles talk about him, you'd have thought they were related. Considering it's a seventh-round pick, if you can get those qualities it's a plus. However, it's the competitive level that's in question. Mississippi guard Nick Broeker was available here and he was in the SEC. The Bears could have added a player with good quality experience to the interior offensive line mix. That couldn't hurt considering Teven Jenkins' record for injuries and the fact he's moving to a new position he hasn't played.

No. 258: S Kendall Williamson, Stanford: B-

It's one pick from Mr. Irrelevant. They made the pick rather quickly so they get extra points from trying to end the draft sooner at this point. Williamson gets to compete with Elijah Hicks at one of the real weak spots they have on the roster—backup safety. Not signing back DeAndre Houston-Carson has left them with real inexperience issues behind Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker.

Final Grade: C+

As said, they lose a full letter grade. This would have been a B+ if they hadn't ignored their greatest need. Free agency or a trade could fix it, but it's not going to give them back the chance to find an edge rusher with his full first contract ahead of him the way the draft would.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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