Leading up to the NFL Draft, SIS will be publishing team previews for those with Top 10 picks in the draft. Each preview will look at the players who most make sense for that team at that selection based on stats and scouting factors and will include quotes from that player’s scouting report.
You can find more than 300 scouting reports and much more team analysis at our NFL Draft website.
The State of the Bears:
The Bears rebuild is in full force, as they finished with their lowest winning percentage since 1969. Since hiring general manager Ryan Poles, the team has been aggressive in acquiring draft capital and surrounding Justin Fields with talent. This led them to deal the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for the 9th and 61st pick in 2023 as well as Carolina’s 2024 first, 2025 second, and wide receiver D.J. Moore.
The Bears are still in the talent acquisition phase of the rebuild with multiple positions they can address. Offensive tackle, defensive tackle, edge, and cornerback are their four biggest areas of concern. Here are a handful of players the Bears could be targeting.
#9 Overall
Devon Witherspoon – CB – Illinois
Witherspoon has the press-man coverage and ball skills to be a solid starter in any NFL defense, but he will need to improve his open-field tackling and off-man ability to hit his ceiling as a true No. 1, shutdown corner.
Witherspoon would provide an upgrade to a cornerback room that ranked 27th in positional Total Points last season*.
Total Points is our all-encompassing player value stat, which measures everything a player does on his field.
Peter Skoronski – OT – Northwestern
Skoronski may not have the standard measurements for an NFL left tackle, but his athleticism, strength, and technique show a high-floor offensive line prospect who should be a quality starter early in his career.
The Bears are serious about getting Fields protection and native son Skoronski would cement their offensive line with his ability to play either tackle or guard.
Paris Johnson Jr. – OT – Ohio State
Johnson is an incredible athlete for his size with the footwork and recover ability to win his fair share of battles. As long as he gets a little stronger and can improve his anchor, he’ll be a big-time force at LT moving forward.
Fields could prefer the team drafting his old college teammate, who may be the best pure left tackle prospect in the draft.
Tyree Wilson – Edge – Texas Tech
Wilson is a long, strong power rusher who can rush the quarterback and defend the run, but a lack of speed and agility may be traits that hold him back early in his career.
Wilson can step into a starting role immediately for a Bears edge rushing group, who was the worst in the NFL according to positional Total Points.
There are almost no flaws in Carter’s on-field play and with an increased effort and professionalism combined with his ability to force teams to change gameplans, he can put himself in the NFL DPOY discussion every year.
If Carter were to slide due to off-the-field concerns, the Bears would have a hard time passing up a talent they were considering taking No. 1 overall due to his game-breaking ability.
To learn more about the Bears and their needs, visit their team page on our NFL Draft website here.
