Bears fans won’t like this latest 2023 NFL Mock Draft

The 2022 NFL Draft caused quite a stir within the Chicago Bears fanbase when general manager Ryan Poles used the team’s first pick, No. 39 overall, on cornerback Kyler Gordon. It wasn’t that Gordon was a bad pick, instead, most fans (and analysts) assumed Poles would provide Justin Fields with help via wide receiver or offensive line.

Gordon and fellow second-round pick, safety Jaquan Brisker, have been fantastic in training camp, which has restored faith in Poles’ draft strategy. But hiding in the depths of Bears fandom is an expectation that Chicago will attack the offensive side of the ball next offseason, including with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

And that’s why The Athletic’s latest 2023 mock draft is borderline criminal.

Nate Tice was responsible for the Bears’ selection at No. 4 overall. No wide receiver. No offensive lineman. Instead, another cornerback! Tice sends Georgia Bulldogs standout Kelee Ringo to Chicago.

“Bears fans will want my head on a stake for selecting another defensive back instead of a wide receiver or offensive lineman to help QB Justin Fields,” Tice wrote. “But this Bears regime just needs to fill its hole-ridden roster with as many building blocks as possible, and Ringo is that type of prospect. He has jaw-dropping traits, and if he continues to grow his game under Kirby Smart in 2022, then the Bears would be plopping Ringo in a defensive backfield currently occupied by promising rookies Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon. Hey, the Bears would have their day-two picks and the most projected cap space in the NFL (nearly $92 million) next year to give Fields some support. We hope.”

Bears can’t pass on chance to add WR in 2023 NFL draft

First, the good: Pairing Ringo with Gordon would be, in a word, sick. There’s no debating that. In today’s pass-happy NFL, a cornerback tandem like Ringo and Gordon would give the Bears an obvious advantage on defense.

Now, the bad: The Bears can’t keep kicking the wide receiver can down the road. While Tice is correct in his suggestion that Chicago can use next year’s free agency period to get Fields weapons, the reality is a new contract is looming for wide receiver Darnell Mooney. The Bears’ biggest outlay for a wide receiver will likely be to a guy who’s already on the team. And while it’ll be great to get Mooney locked up on a long-term deal, it doesn’t move the needle on offense.

That’s where the first round of the 2023 NFL draft comes in. It’s prime real estate for wide receiver talent, and with how the position’s contract numbers have exploded over the last couple of seasons, it’s also the most team-friendly way of adding immediate contributors.

The Chicago Bears aren’t drafting a cornerback in the first round of the 2023 draft. Yes, they might use free agency to stack pieces around Fields, but they’ll also use next year’s first-rounder to make sure their franchise passer is in the position to succeed.

It’s more likely the Bears will draft LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte than Ringo. In The Athletics’ mock draft, Boutte goes two picks later — No. 6 overall — to the Jacksonville Jaguars to help quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It’s that same logic that should be applied to Chicago in any and all mock drafts this year.