(Audacy) All eyes were on the Bears early in the offseason as they held the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which they eventually traded to the Panthers in a blockbuster deal on March 10.
The Bears ultimately traded down again to No. 10 overall, where they selected Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright. In doing so, the Bears passed on drafting Georgia star defensive tackle Jalen Carter at a position of need. The Bears addressed that void by drafting Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. in the second round and South Carolina defensive tackle Zacch Pickens in the third round.
On the Audacy Original Podcast “1st & Pod,” 670 The Score afternoon host Danny Parkins explained why the Bears ended up with a need-based approach in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens … those were like the definition of drafting-for-need picks, and I can’t hate on it,” Parkins said (23:15 in player above). “I don’t think it can be overstated how little talent there is on the Bears' defensive line. So I am always a ‘best player available at a position of need,’ and when you have a defensive head coach and you pass on Jalen Carter, you need to give him some young bodies with some upside for the defensive line.”
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In the fourth round, the Bears selected Texas Longhorns running back Roschon Johnson and Cincinnati receiver Tyler Scott to give third-year quarterback Justin Fields more weapons.
“I actually thought that as the draft went on, it got more and more sensible,” Parkins said. “But it was strictly a need-based draft for the Bears.”
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