2023 Mock Draft: This new 2-round mock addresses Bears’ biggest weaknesses

The Chicago Bears have several glaring needs entering the 2023 offseason, but none are bigger than pass rusher and offensive line. The Bears’ defense has been downright embarrassing getting after opposing quarterbacks. Chicago ranks dead last in the NFL with just 17 sacks on the season.

An argument can be made that wide receiver remains the Bears’ biggest need on offense, but unless GM Ryan Poles assembles a consistent offensive line around Justin Fields, it won’t matter who’s running routes in 2023. Chicago has a boatload of money to spend in free agency, and the offensive line will be a big target on the open market. But the 2023 NFL Draft will provide Poles and the Bears an opportunity to upgrade both massive need areas.

Luke Easterling did just that in the latest two-round mock draft at The Draft Wire. He sent the Bears a blue-chip pass rusher in the first round and a starting quality offensive tackle in the second.

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Round 1, Pick 2: Will Anderson, Edge, Alabama

This pick seems like an obvious one to me. I know Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter will be a popular pick for the Chicago Bears because of the importance coach Matt Eberflus places on the three-technique, but Anderson is a game-changer along the lines of Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons.

Easterling agrees.

Obviously, the Bears’ prime objective in the offseason needs to be building around Justin Fields on offense, but that can be done in many different ways. In this scenario, their best bet is to take perhaps the best overall prospect in the entire draft, replacing what they lost in Robert Quinn.

Luke Easterling, The Draft Wire

Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse

Round 2, Pick 56: Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse

Chicago Bears scouts will get a closer look at Bergeron next month in Mobile, Alabama, at the Senior Bowl (editor’s note: we’ll be there too!). Bergeron’s stock could go way up if he has a good week of practices against some quality edge rushers who will also be in attendance.

Bergeron has started at Syracuse since his freshman season, playing 44 games and logging time at both right and left tackle. There is a wide range of draft grades on him right now, with some analysts pegging him as a late second-rounder and others sliding him into the sixth round. Some preseason scouting services issued Bergeron a free-agent grade, meaning he isn’t worthy of a draft selection.

His 2022 tape is some of the best of his career, and his draft stock will rise throughout the draft season. His arms measured a verified 33 7/8 inches in the spring, which is consistent with NFL offensive tackle length. He’ll get a boost in his stock once those numbers make the rounds.

Whether or not Bergeron is a realistic second-round target is somewhat irrelevant. The bigger point is this: the Chicago Bears have a good chance to come out of the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL draft filling big needs with quality players. Assuming Poles does damage in free agency, a draft haul like this would be a major win.