2023 NFL Mock Draft: Chicago Bears land left tackle in 1st round

If the Chicago Bears are as bad as most pundits predict in 2022, the 2023 NFL Mock Draft circuit will be a lot of fun. At least, it’ll help distract fans from the on-field frustration.

The Bears’ first-round pick could be a top-10 selection, and with talent at wide receiver and offensive tackle in the 2023 NFL Draft, Chicago will land reinforcements for quarterback Justin Fields.

In the latest 2023 NFL mock draft from CBS Sports, the Bears pick Northwestern left tackle Peter Skoronski at No. 7 overall.

“Chicago will have zero idea of Justin Fields” potential after the upcoming season because of how little they have done to help him this offseason,” CBS Sports” Josh Edwards wrote. “The team is bereft of pass catchers and offensive linemen. Wide receiver could be an option, but they snag a lineman from up the road.”

Bears’ lack of offseason activity creates low expectations in 2022

The 2022 offseason was expected to be filled with headlines of Bears general manager Ryan Poles signing offensive linemen and wide receivers to help his second-year quarterback. That hasn’t happened to the degree analysts like Edwards had hoped.

But Poles has provided Fields with some help. He signed a new center and a handful of under-the-radar wide receivers like Byron Pringle, Tajae Sharpe, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Dante Pettis. None of those names move the needle individually but as a collective group? There’s at least a chance one of them emerges in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s system.

Offensive tackle wasn’t addressed, however. At least, it wasn’t addressed before day three of the 2022 NFL draft. It’s a position that’s one of the hardest to fill, so using a top-10 selection on one makes sense because of the positional value (and scarcity). Skoronski being a local star doesn’t hurt, either.

If the Bears suffer another losing season in 2022, adding a player like Skoronski or one of the many talented wide receivers in next year’s draft class will help take some of the sting away.