If 2022 was about whittling down the Bears roster to identify key players moving forward and preparing the team for future acquisitions, 2023 is about starting to rebuild in earnest. Ryan Poles began this process by trading DJ Moore and signing players like Tremaine Edmunds, Nate Davis, and TJ Walker to free agency. The bulk of the action happened over the weekend, when the Bears added 10 players in the 2023 NFL Draft. No team will ever be able to achieve 100% of their picks, and not every combination will earn rave reviews from fans and critics. But a college scouting expert thinks the Poles have done an exceptional job.
Dane Brugler ranks the Bears as the fifth-best draft pick in the NFL this year. Brugler is known for putting together one of, if not the most comprehensive exploration guides out there every year. It’s a massive document called The Beast, and this year it included 401 scouting reports and 1,893 player ratings. So Brugler is familiar with lots and lots of players, and he loves what he’s done for the Bears in the top picks.
“Darnell Wright is a plug-and-play right tackle who will help stabilize the offensive line,” Bruegler said. “Chicago’s two defensive tackles on the second day paid off immediately.”
Related: Final scores for the Bears 2023 draft class
However, Brugler’s preferred pick was Tyler Scott. Scott has been rated a top 50 player yet the Bears managed to get him the 133rd overall pick.
“A former high school option running back, he (Scott) transitioned to wide receiver for the Bearcats and made a huge jump on his bar for 2022,” Bruegler said. “Scott 4.3 has amazing speed and skills on the ball and could take on the role of Darnell Money in the future.”
Furthermore, Brugler noted that the Bears finished the draft with six players that he had ranked as a top 100 player. That was tied for most players in the NFL, along with the Steelers. Here is a list of the top 100 players, and where exactly they landed on Brugler’s list:
No. 24: Darnell Wright
#48: Tyler Scott
No. 55: Gervon Dexter Sr.
No. 69: Tyrek Stephenson
No. 83: Zack Pickens
No. 91: Roshawn Johnson
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