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.”
