Bears land steal in 3rd round of this new three-round mock draft

We’re slowly but surely coming to the end of the Chicago Bears 2023 mock draft season. With only three weeks left before NFL draft weekend is here, the list of potential players the Bears could choose at No. 9 has shrunk.

While we still don’t know exactly who the Chicago Bears will select in the first round, it feels safe to predict it’ll be an offensive lineman. Whether it’s the versatile Peter Skoronski (Northwestern) or a more traditional offensive tackle like Paris Johnson Jr., the Bears’ starting lineup will improve.

The names flip and flop depending on which Bears mock draft you read. In the latest three-round mock from The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner, GM Ryan Poles goes the traditional route in the first round with Paris Johnson Jr.

Here are all of the Chicago Bears’ selections in The Athletic’s mock draft:

No. 9 (via CAR): Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
No. 53 (via BAL): Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati
No. 61 (via CAR): Clark Phillips III, CB, Utah
No. 64: Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern

Chicago Bears must add OT and DL in first three rounds

This would be quite the haul for the Bears. Johnson is a plug-and-play right tackle. If Braxton Jones weren’t already on the roster, Johnson would be a perfect fit for Chicago’s long-term left tackle.

Scott would give the Chicago Bears offense an after-the-catch dynamo. Even with the Bears’ improved wide receiver group, Scott profiles as a player who’d have a meaningful role as the WR4 in his rookie season. Chicago could turn to Scott and let Darnell Mooney or Chase Claypool depart in free agency in 2024.

Indeed, this draft’s best-value pick is Adebawore at No. 64. The Northwestern defensive lineman has enjoyed a meteoric rise up draft boards since the Senior Bowl. He’s appeared in the first round of some mock drafts, but there’s a growing sense that his momentum has cooled. If he’s on the board in the third round, the Chicago Bears will land a starting three-tech with an immense ceiling.