The Athletic's Dane Brugler published his first 2023 NFL Mock draft of the season Wednesday, and for Chicago Bears fans, it's a dream-come-true scenario.
With the second overall pick, Brugler sends the Bears a rare pass-rushing prospect in Alabama's Will Anderson Jr.
Although quarterback Justin Fields is steadily progressing, the Bears are trending toward a top-three pick, which would be a positive in the long run. Will Anderson has the talent and intangibles to be a cornerstone player and defensive game-wrecker, both as a shutdown run defender and disruptive pass rusher off the edge.
If the draft plays out like this, it would be the first time in more than two decades that the first two players drafted were from the same college team. Penn State’s Courtney Brown (Cleveland Browns) and LaVar Arrington (Washington Redskins) went 1-2 in 2000.
Dane Brugler, The Athletic
I wrote about Anderson in Bears Talk's first 2023 NFL Draft player evaluation here. You can check it out with a premium subscription.
Anderson reminds me quite a bit of Micah Parsons, who's taken the NFL by storm since joining the Dallas Cowboys as the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. While I don't think Anderson is quite as twitchy as Parsons, his impact as a pass rusher will be very similar.
2023 Mock Draft bolsters NFC North defenses
The Bears aren't the only team that gets better on defense in Brugler's mock draft.
The Detroit Lions land Georgia's Jalen Carter at the No. 3 overall pick. Carter is viewed as the best defensive line prospect in the class and is in play for the Bears in the first round, too. There's a chance the Lions will opt for a quarterback with their first of two first-round picks, as the Carolina Panthers land Ohio State's C.J. Stroud just two selections later. Jared Goff has done an admirable job for Detroit this year, but for the Lions to take the next step in their rebuild, they need to land a first-round quarterback.
The Lions' second first-rounder, which in this mock draft is at No. 13 overall, is a defensive pick too. Brugler bolsters Detroit's secondary with Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Bears fans won't want to admit it, but if the Lions end up with a draft haul like Carter and Porter one year after adding Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams, the threat level goes up.
The Green Bay Packers -- once again -- go defense in the first round, too. Brugler has them selecting Tyree Wilson (DL, Texas Tech) at the eighth pick.
"Of the last 12 first-round picks by the Packers, only one (Jordan Love) came on offense," Brugler wrote of the Packers' pick. "An offensive lineman is possible here — Peter Skoronski playing for the Packers just like his Super Bowl-winning grandfather, Bob Skoronski, would be an awesome story. But no one should be surprised to see another defender, specifically along the line, where Tyree Wilson can be a versatile weapon."
As for the Minnesota Vikings? They buck the defensive trend and select Ohio State wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba with the 29th pick. The Buckeyes wideout was a popular draft crush for Bears fans at the start of the 2022 season, but with how the needs on defense have become paramount, Chicago is likely to push wide receiver down their list of needs.