Chicago Bears come away with a haul in this updated 2023 NFL mock draft

The Chicago Bears add another weapon for Justin Fields

With the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Staying in front of the Green Bay Packers at 15 was important in case they decided to finally select a wide receiver in the first round. Ryan Poles reunites Smith-Njigba with Justin Fields and it feels oh-so-good.

I had Smith-Njigba and Jordan Addison in the same tier of my wide receiver rankings for the upcoming draft. They are the only two that I gave first-round grades and both are low. I don't make drastic changes to my draft board based on the NFL Combine, but I use it as a tool to help solidify my original thinking or possibly make slight changes. Smith-Njigba had a great Combine and I swapped him and Addison in my rankings. Reuniting him with Justin Fields is also a big selling point for me.

Now, in 2024, you target Marvin Harrison, Jr. and you have Smith-Njigba to pair with him. Maybe you keep one of the multiple WRs heading into the final year of their contracts. Don't forget, DeAndre Hopkins also has a year left on his contract. It's possible that Chicago trades him to another team or you just have all three receivers and let Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool walk in free agency. The wide receiver group quickly went from one of the worst to one of the best in just two seasons.