Draft Grades - Chicago Bears

Hey. I'm overviewing the picks for the Bears in the last draft.

Let's get into it.

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OT Darnell Wright (#10): B+

I used to hammer down on teams hard if they did not draft exactly the players I wanted to draft, but I think there is more to drafting than sticking to PFF or ESPN's big board.

The Bears' biggest need, by far, was right tackle. Broderick Jones and Peter Skoronski were both better tackles on my board, but they are both primarily left tackles.

In the end, the Bears needed a right tackle and they got the best one in the draft with a wee bit extra from the Eagles. It gets docked a bit for the value still, but a very good pick on paper.

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DT Gervon Dexter Sr. (#53): B-

This selection, to me, makes it clear that the Bears are not looking for plug-and-play starters and are embracing the rebuild. Dexter was seen as a reach by some and lacked production in college.

However, his frame and athleticism are fantastic for his position. He will play immediately as a rotation player as the coaches look to access his potential by refining his technique.

If the Bears are looking for an instant replacement for Justin Jones, they may have missed the mark. But a high-upside player at a position of need to develop behind some vets isn't a bad selection.

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CB Tyrique Stevenson (#56): A+

Spoiler for the rest of this list: this is my favorite pick for the Bears. It fills a position of need, wasn't a huge trade-up, and is fantastic value for late in the second round.

Duke Shelley was let go last year for Kindle Vildor, which proved to be a mistake. Hopefully this grievance is rectified by the drafting of Stevenson.

The Bears hit on two defensive backs last year in S Jaquan Brisker and CB Kyler Gordon. With this selection, the Bears fill every starter spot on in their secondary, at least for one season.

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DT Zacch Pickens (#64): B-

A very similar pick to the Gervon Dexter selection, so the description will be shorter. Great frame and athleticism, questionable production in college, seen as a reach by some.

Once again, it's clear the Bears are not going to force these two players to start. They will likely develop behind Justin Jones and Andrew Billings. So a good pick in of potential and needs, but still docked for value.

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RB Roschon Johnson (#115): A-

Some of the Bears’ best picks came on Day 3. By this point, it’s unlikely to find a Day 1 plug-and-play starter, so I find it usually best to draft the best player available. They got a great value pick in Johnson.

Even so, running back was a good position to target. D’Onta Foreman’s likely only here for a year and Herbert hasn’t started a full season yet.

Johnson is a do-it-all back that can run and catch, and he has lower tread on him than other backs around this range. He will be an instant contributor and could develop into a starter in two years depending on Herbert’s fate in Chicago.

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WR Tyler Scott (#133): A-

Last year, the Bears reached to take Velus Jones Jr. (a projected 4th-5th round pick) in the 3rd round. He had great speed and return ability, but struggled both as a receiver and as a return threat, muffing three punts.

Scott was seen by some as a late 2nd-early 3rd round pick this year and has many of those same attributes. With this selection, Ryan Poles seems to have learned his lesson in only his second year ever as a GM.

Thanks to the acquisitions of Chase Claypool and D. J. Moore, he will not be forced to make an instant impact and can ease his way into a role on this team. A much better situation for Fields and the receivers than last year.

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LB Noah Sewell (#148): B

Another position that was revamped for the Bears was linebacker. They replaced Roquan Smith with Tremaine Edmunds and added a budding star in T. J. Edwards. Finally, UDFA Jack Sanborn performed well when forced to start last year.

Even with Sanborn in the starting line-up, linebacker was not a need for the Bears. However, Sewell is a former five-star prospect that flashed in college as a blitzer and runstopper. He has the potential to develop into a starter.

While his floor is as a rotational player thanks to his struggles in coverage, the Bears could have done worse here. Linebacker went from one of the Bears’ greatest weaknesses to one of their least needed positions in just one offseason.

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CB Terell Smith (#165): B-

Many saw Smith as one of the better players left on the board. Even with all of the starters filled out with the Stevenson selection, the Bears now add some developmental depth.

I liked Smith’s traits more than Sewell’s, but he also has an injury history, which caused him to struggle consistently producing in college. It is good he will not be forced into the starting line-up immediately.

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DT Travis Bell (#218): B-

Seventh-round picks can’t really bust. By the time these picks roll around, the only big-school players left you may not have even heard of and the recognizable names left on the board are likely there for a reason.

The redeeming traits for Bell are two things: first-off, positional need. Building the trenches on both sides was definitely the Bears’ agenda in this draft if this pick proves anything.

Secondly (and to me, more importantly): he worked a full-time job while in college to his family. That kind of thing can drastically offset production and development and attests to his work ethic. His character could drive him to make the roster and develop into a role player in the NFL.

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DB Kendall Williamson: C

Again, these picks can’t really bust, so I’ll just give a brief description. The pros are that he’s a multi-year starter, has good size, and was an First-Team Academic All-American. He also is the brother of a former NFL corner.

The cons are his inconsistency and lack of a breakout season with five years of college production. There’s a reason he nearly fell out of the draft entirely.

Essentially, Williamson will compete with Elijah Hicks, a sixth-rounder from last year, to make the roster. More competition is always a good thing.

• • • • •

Overall Draft Grade

I like the direction Ryan Poles went with this year. The biggest holes on the roster were right tackle and another outside corner, which he addressed directly at with Darnell Wright and Tyrique Stevenson, who should start immediately.

Great value selections that have a chance to contribute immediately were made on Day 3, primarily with Roschon Johnson and Tyler Scott. It’s nice for Fields to have a good roster around him on offense.

While the defensive tackles were both reaches, they are both high-upside developmental players and there are two veterans capable of starting, so the position should still look a lot better both this and next year.

While I would have liked the addition of an edge-rusher, even just for depth, the Bears are not a team that can fix their issues in just one offseason.

Overall Grade: B+

Let me know what team to do next. I’ll probably do the Texans unless another one comes up