New 2023 mock draft features intriguing WR for Bears in 2nd round

2023 NFL mock drafts will undergo a massive change in the first-round landscape once the NFL Combine kicks off next week. Players slotted at or near the top of Round 1 will slowly fall, while prospects who run faster and jump higher than their draft classmates will skyrocket in rankings.

But for a team like the Chicago Bears, who hold the No. 1 overall pick, the cluster of elite players at the top of the first round will likely remain the same. It’ll be pretty easy to predict the three or four prospects GM Ryan Poles will target with his first selection.

In the latest two-round mock draft from CBS Sports, the first pick is Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.

In this mock draft, the Bears don’t trade out of the No. 1 selection and instead use it to bolster their pass rush. “Will Anderson is in the same pre-draft conversations as Chase Young and Nick Bosa when it comes to best non-QB players in a class,” CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson wrote.

Bears fans will be perfectly happy with Anderson as the team’s first pick, even if there’s a bit of disappointment without a trade-down with a team like the Indianapolis Colts.

Bears land promising WR in the second round

The real intrigue in this mock draft begins in the second round, with Chicago’s selection of Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Scott.

Cincinnati WR Tyler Scott is a lethal weapon with the ball in his hands due to his blistering, game-breaking speed.

Averaged 16.6 yards per catch with 9 TD’s in 2022. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/PQhHAr8ZgR

— WBG84 (@WBG84) February 16, 2023

Scott ended the 2022 season with 54 catches for 899 yards and nine touchdowns. He isn’t a big guy — he’s listed at 5’11, 172 pounds — but he’s a favorite among NFL draft analysts, including NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who compared him to former Colts star, T.Y. Hilton.

“While the comparison to T.Y. Hilton might raise some eyebrows, Scott is a similar player in body type, speed and versatility,” Zierlein wrote. “With just two seasons of starting experience at receiver, his route running and ball skills are almost certain to continue to improve and become less of an issue for him in the future. He has the speed and shiftiness to uncover on all three levels. Also, he offers jet sweep and receiver screen value. A smallish frame and lack of hand strength are likely to continue to plague him on contested catches, though. Scott is an ascending talent whose versatility and playmaking talent create an easily projectable upside as a good starting slot receiver early in his career.”

Scott’s blistering playmaking ability would be a welcome sight for a Bears’ passing attack that failed miserably at times in 2022.

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