The Chicago Bears need to continue to build their defensive line. If they do not add Jalen Carter in the first round, they will be looking to hit this need with one of their picks from that run of 53, 61, and 64 to start the third round.
If the Chicago Bears do wait until that range, these will be the five names most likely to be options.
5. Is Zacch Pickens from South Carolina on Chicago Bears radar?
Zacch Pickens is a player we highlighted as an option back at the Senior Bowl. Pickens was a highly recruited player and one of the better known recruits to end up with the Gamecocks. While he did not live up to the hype in college, he does possess some traits that make him intriguing in the NFL.
He played more in the A-gap as a nose in college, and may be unleashed a bit more in the B-gap. Beyond that, as his high school profile showed, this is a player with the physical traits. His tape is inconsistent if anything, and he struggles to unlock his hands as relies solely on getting a good first step to make plays in the backfield.
If a team can get him to use his hands more as a pass rusher, and if he can anchor a little better in the run game this is a high-upside player with serious potential. Right now, he is up and down you have to accept that if you take him with a top-75 pick. That is his expected range right now, so you could argue that 64 is a little bit high, but if they pass on him there they will not get him later.
4. Could Chicago Bears add nose tackle Siaki Ika from Baylor?
Siaki Ika is an intriguing prospect, and another player that we highlighted. His expected draft range is 65th, so it is easy to say that he could be on the Chicago Bears radar with the 64th overall pick. If that is the case, it would be a big-time addition. That is because Ika is a massive human being.
Ika was a big recruit from LSU and transferred to Baylor, where he played his last two seasons.
The pros to this are that he takes up a lot of space in the run game. For how big he is, he is a bit more nimble on his feet than you would expect and there is a little upside when it comes to lateral and forward movement.
Still, he is a nose tackle, and expecting him to be more than that is asking too much. He is only going to play about half the snaps, and even then, the team will need to keep his conditioning in check. When he is on the field you cannot see issues with hustle, although, at times, he can shoot out of his stance which does limit his pass rush.
Still, the question is what is the value of a nose tackle? He could be the best player at his position by the time the Bears draft, but he will not play multiple roles or where many different hats. You have to accept that Siaki Ika is what he is, and will not bring too much more.
3. Byron Young from Alabama could help the Chicago Bears
Byron Young is just an overall solid player and would be a great fit for the Chicago Bears. What makes him a nice addition is that he played up and down the Alabama defensive line, and got work during all four years of his career. When Nick Saban trusts you to wear multiple hats you know you have the playbook down.
Byron Young wins with smarts, anticipation, and sound hand usage. The issue with him is that he lacks real explosiveness, and struggles both laterally, and getting push off of the snap. His body type is closer to a tweener type, but because he is so sound technically he can be a jack of all trades and take snaps here and there rather than end up as a master of none.
The upside is not sky-high, and that is why he will not get drafted high, but his floor is equally as high because he can get on an NFL in a rotation for a game tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how the NFL values that profile, and if he fits the Chicago Bears. He certainly has the HITs principle down.
2. Chicago Bears must have draft interest in Wisconsin DL Keeanu Benton
Keeanu Benton has seen his stock do nothing but rise since he went down to the Senior Bowl all the way back in January. Now he is being regarded as a likely top 50 player, and of all the players on this list, he may be the one the team does not see on the board. Still, his mock draft database has him right in the 50-63 range, so you could say that he is the perfect fit for the Chicago Bears.
Benton is flying under the radar because he mainly played as a nose tackle for the Badgers. It does make sense that the Big 10 is run-heavy, and stuffing the A-gap is more valuable than getting pass rush from the B-gap. Still, teams are learning that Benton now has untapped pass-rush ability.
He flashed it at the Senior Bowl, and things were confirmed athletically via the NFL combine. Benton has three and a half years of starting experience. When you combine all of the checked boxes you see a player that would be a great fit for the Chicago Bears. We will see if the steam pushes him into the top 50, or if he ends up being the Bears second pick in 2023.
1. Will Chicago Bears take chance on Gervon Dexter from Florida?
The Chicago Bears could take a swing for the fences if they draft Gervon Dexter from Florida. Dexter has the most impressive flashes of brilliance and intense athletic ability. When it all comes together for him he is as impressive as anybody in the class.
The issue is that he has been wildly inconsistent over the past two seasons. He relies on his athletic traits and does not have the ability to finish or put together consistent production.
What is interesting to note is that he compares favorably to Chris Jones from an athletic and physical standpoint. He happened to play for the same coaching staff that Jones had at Mississippi State when he was in Florida. Jones fell for a lot of the same reasons, and you have to wonder if there is a correlation between the staff and these questions, but also the flashes.
Chris Jones answered all questions and then some. Even if Dexter does not hit that type of ceiling, Jones is a success story of someone who harnessed that skillset and became everything the Chicago Bears need right now. Ryan Poles was there when the Chiefs bet on Chris Jones, do they bet on Gervon Dexter to be their guy in round two?