National Football League

Jalen Carter? Peter Skoronski? Who will the Bears pick in the 2023 NFL Draft?

Updated Apr. 21, 2023 7:38 p.m. ET

It’s not crazy to think the Chicago Bears might have the most promising future of any professional sports team in the Windy City.

The Bulls are mired in mediocrity, the superstar-less Cubs are headed for .500, the White Sox can’t stay out of their own way, the Sky are stuck far behind two WNBA superteams and the Blackhawks finished with the second-worst record in hockey after trading Patrick Kane.

Training camp can’t come soon enough in Chicago.

Despite winning only three games last season, the Bears appear to be on the right track in terms of building a winner. Rather than stitch up the mess he inherited, second-year general manager Ryan Poles correctly jettisoned Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn last season to focus on the future.

Poles is clearly committed to quarterback Justin Fields and the franchise uncharacteristically traded down – hold your Mitch Trubisky jokes – from the No. 1 overall pick in next Thursday’s NFL Draft.

So… what’s the move at No. 9 for Chicago? Bears fans are dying to know.

"I think they take the best offensive lineman on their board," The Athletic’s Bears beat writer Kevin Fishbain told FOX Sports. "Their money mostly went into linebacker in free agency, but they also added a starting guard and tight end, and [receiver] D.J. Moore was their biggest acquisition.

"The general manager is a former offensive lineman, the assistant general manager is a former offensive lineman, the franchise hasn’t drafted an offensive tackle in the first round in over 10 years and Fields led the league in sacks taken last season. You’ve got to fortify that line.

"You’re looking at Paris Johnson Jr. or Peter Skoronski. Broderick Jones or Darnell Wright seem like more viable options if you trade back, but we don’t know where they stand on the Bears’ big board. You’ve got to use this resource to protect Fields. I think that’s what they should do.

"You can see how this is about building around Justin Fields."

FOX Bet surprisingly has Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter listed as the odds-on favorite to go No. 9 to Chicago at +250 ($10 wins $35 total). But everything I can gather from league sources and betting connections tells me Carter will be long gone by the time the Bears are on the clock.

Ninth-overall pick odds via FOX Bet:

Jalen Carter +250 (Bet $10 to win $35)
Peter Skoronski +300 (Bet $10 to win $40)
Paris Johnson Jr. +333 (Bet $10 to win $43.33)
Broderick Jones +700 (Bet $10 to win $80)
Darnell Wright +900 (Bet $10 to win $100)
Lukas Van Ness +1100 (Bet $10 to win $120)
Nolan Smith +1400 (Bet $10 to win $150)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba +1500 (Bet $10 to win $160)
Christian Gonzalez +1600 (Bet $10 to win $170)
Bijan Robinson +2200 (Bet $10 to win $230)
Devon Witherspoon +2500 (Bet $10 to win $260)

"It’ll be an interesting decision if Jalen Carter is available at No. 9," Fishbain explained. "Football-wise, he absolutely fits a need, but I don’t think the Bears are at a place as a team to be the right environment. They’re too young and don’t have a ton of veterans. It doesn’t seem to line up from a fit standpoint.

"Don’t ignore the corners either. Poles is very motivated to take the best player available, and there are too many needs to focus on just one. The Bears have two good starting corners, but realistically, you need three in the modern-day NFL. If Christian Gonzalez or Devon Witherspoon are available, they’ll definitely consider those possibilities."

I don’t hate a bet on Northwestern’s Skoronski at 3-1 one bit.

He’s the type of guy that can play inside or outside, and I truly believe he’ll work his ass off to circumvent any stupid shortcomings about arm length. It’s a "block or don’t block" league, and Skoronski can certainly block. Ask around.

I know that discussing offensive linemen and cornerbacks might not be as sexy as envisioning Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud in navy blue and orange. And I’m sure there are a couple of Swerskis and Wollarskis that simply cannot fathom the Bears not keeping the No. 1 overall pick.

Get over it!

"Poles was not blown away by a quarterback," Fishbain said. "The Bears had to seriously think about taking one because ideally you’re not going to be picking first overall anytime soon. This was their best chance to address a passing offense that finished dead-last in the NFL, and they kept their guy.

"Poles wants to build a consistent winner. He came from the Chiefs and they’re always in the playoffs these days. Sure, Mahomes is a big reason for that, but Alex Smith was taking them there before Mahomes won the job.

"I sat down with Poles at his first owner’s meetings, and he told me all about how the Bears have had seasons where they’re really good and then they fall off. Make the Super Bowl in ’06 and don’t make the playoffs ‘til 2010. Go all the way to ’18 and have this great season and fall off again.

"The Bears haven’t made the playoffs in back-to-back years in almost 20 years. Poles is motivated to get enough long-term players in here, so they can contend for the playoffs every year. You have a better shot at doing that by drafting a bunch of guys and playing the numbers game.

"They’ve got four picks in the Top 64 this year. Ryan Pace had more than two picks in the Top 64 only once, and he had to trade up to make that happen. Poles sees the roster, he sees the needs and he wants to build it the right way. It doesn’t mean it’s going to work, but you can see the road map."

My advice is simple: be excited yet realistic.

If you’re expecting the Bears to win 10 games and claim the NFC North crown, the mathematics tell you to pump the brakes. Most American sportsbooks are dealing Chicago’s regular-season win total at O/U 7.5. After all, a five-win improvement on a dreadful 3-14 campaign would be a massive step in the right direction.

"Bears fans are just so excited about Fields," Fishbain acknowledged. "And they’ll latch onto teams like the Bengals and Eagles – teams that recently took big leaps because their young quarterbacks exploded in year three.

"I don’t think there’s a single athlete in the city of Chicago that has more hype, excitement and adoration than Fields. Now that might be a testament to the other teams in town, but that’s what he is right now.

"All that said, the Bears need to hit on some of these draft picks, Fields needs to take a leap and some of these free agents need to be upgrades. As we have this conversation before the draft and training camp, this is probably a seven or eight-win team. I’m a 'see it before I believe it' type guy, and we haven’t seen it with this group.

"But I understand the excitement for more competitive football."

Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and NESN. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He'll probably pick against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.

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