Chicago Bears mock draft season is officially upon us and the Bears need help all across the roster.
At the top of the first round, the Chicago Bears select an absolute no-brainer player for the defense that’s in desperate need of a talent infusion. The debate will come down between two SEC defenders. Dane Brugler has been an amateur highly respected media draft scout for almost two decades. He has the Chicago Bears slotted with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
With the Bears in desperate need of every critical position on the roster (but QB) Brugler weighed in with his first mock draft of the NFL Draft season.
2. Chicago Bears: Will Anderson Jr., Edge, Alabama*
Although quarterback Justin Fields is steadily progressing, the Chicago Bears are trending toward a top-three pick, which would be a positive in the long run. Will Anderson Jr. 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.
There’s nothing more to say about this selection, as Will Anderson Jr. is another one of those generational types of pass rushers off the edge. It doesn’t matter that he isn’t the prototypical base 4-3 defensive end size, he’s such a stud player you line up on the edge and forget about him for the next 10-plus years because he’s going to be a game wrecker. One year removed from trading Khalil Mack getting Anderson would be a coup.
Will Anderson Jr. is one of those players where you don’t have to be a professional scout to know he’s going to be good. If you’ve watched Alabama’s defense over the last two years, he’s the kid that makes you say “WHO IN THE HELL IS THAT GUY?!!!
Anderson has collected 34.5 sacks over his three years at Alabama. Yes his production is down this year but that’s like because he’s in self-preservation mode. He’s not going to go hard because the money he has to make at the NFL outweighs any personal injury risk he’s going to take.
It’s not something you like to see, but it has a historical precedent with many of an elite pass rushers. You don’t want to get cut and have your knee wrecked in the process.
Will Anderson is the pick that makes the most sense for the Chicago Bears in the 2023 NFL Draft if the Bears stay put in the Top 5.
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