Bears Draft Wrap-up

NFL analysts were impressed with what general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears accomplished in the 2023 draft. Here are some of the grades they received.

With the 10 players they selected in this year's draft, the Bears filled needs, added talent and depth to their roster and moved closer to contending for a championship.

Coach Matt Eberflus spoke with the media Saturday for the first time since the start of the 2023 NFL Draft and discussed the Bears' first-round pick, the interior defensive linemen additions and more.

The Bears drafted four prospects they had evaluated at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., including small-school offensive linemen Braxton Jones (Southern Utah) in the fifth round and Ja'Tyre Carter (Southern) in the seventh.

No one benefitted more from the extra year of eligibility that college players were granted due to COVID-19 than receiver Velus Jones Jr., who more than doubled his career totals in 2021 and was ultimately drafted by the Bears.

Looking back at the NFL Draft and ahead to this weekend's rookie minicamp at Halas Hall, Bears general manager Ryan Poles spoke exclusively with ChicagoBears.com senior writer Larry Mayer.

During a radio interview Monday, former Washington coach Jimmy Lake was effusive in his praise for Bears' second-round pick Kyler Gordon, calling the cornerback "the most athletic player that I've ever coached."

Making four trades that produced five additional draft picks Saturday gave the Bears more opportunities to land quality prospects while creating increased competition at multiple positions.

Of the Bears' 11 picks in the NFL Draft, ESPN analyst Todd McShay feels that third-round choice Velus Jones Jr., a receiver and return specialist from Tennessee, was their best selection.

Dick Butkus, Devin Hester and Eddie Jackson are among 13 Bears on pro football writer Rick Gosselin's list of the best players ever selected at each of the first 259 slots in the draft.

Two NFL.com writers have ranked the drafts of all NFL teams 1-32, and the Bears sit on the very top of the list after making shrewd trades in the first two rounds.

One national football writer has identified Bears sixth-round picks Khalil Herbert, a running back from Virginia Tech, and Thomas Graham Jr., a cornerback from Oregon, as two of 10 steals in last week's NFL Draft.

Offensive tackle Teven Jenkins excelled as a senior last season at Oklahoma State, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors. But his college coach is convinced that the best is yet to come for the Bears' second-round pick.

During a phone conversation last year, a term that Ohio State coach Ryan Day used to describe quarterback Justin Fields made a lasting impression on Bears coach Matt Nagy.

The Bears nearly earned straight A's from national analysts for a 2021 draft class headed by quarterback Justin Fields and tackle Teven Jenkins.

Like the rest of Bears nation, coach Matt Nagy was thrilled that the team was able to shrewdly trade up nine spots in the first round of the draft to take Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

Still energized from landing quarterback Justin Fields and offensive tackle Teven Jenkins in the first two rounds, the Bears concluded the 2021 NFL Draft by selecting five more prospects Saturday.

According to Darnell Mooney's head coach at Tulane, Willie Fritz, the Bears' fifth-round draft pick is a talented receiver who possesses versatility and an excellent work ethic.

The life-changing moment Cole Kmet experienced last Friday night still doesn't seem real to the Notre Dame tight end, an avid Bears fan from the Chicago area who was drafted by his favorite team.

In seventh-round draft picks Arlington Hambright and Lachavious Simmons, the Bears feel they landed a pair of promising offensive line prospects who possess versatility and a passion for the game.

Having worked with Cole Kmet the past three years, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly is convinced that the Bears landed a special player with their top pick in the 2020 draft.

With the 2020 draft closing the book on the 2018 Khalil Mack trade, we break down the six players who were drafted with the picks exchanged between the Bears and Raiders in the blockbuster deal.

Despite not having a first-round pick, the Bears earned mostly "B" grades for their 2020 draft from national NFL analysts.

The Bears entered Day 3 of the draft with one fifth-round pick. But seeing a cluster of prospects the team coveted were still on the board, general manager Ryan Pace made two trades Saturday to acquire additional selections.