Chicago Bears Mock Draft: Fields stays, Hopkins lands, no. 1 pick tradedRyan Heckmanon January 13, 2023 at 12:00 pm

2023 NFL Draft chatter is all the rage now amongst Chicago Bears fans.

And why shouldn’t it be? This is a team that’s been out of the postseason for a while now, and just secured the number 1 overall pick.

Thanks, Lovie.

With the power they hold in the first round, what do the Bears do? Some say they should draft Bryce Young and trade Justin Fields — but that’s not happening.

In one of the most exciting mock drafts you’ll see yet, the Bears keep Fields and start with a bang.

In this 2023 mock draft, the Chicago Bears start out with a big trade out of the number 1 pick.

Moving out of number one, the Bears land picks no. 5 and no. 20 from the Seattle Seahawks. Plus, they get a second and third rounder this year and a first-round pick next year.

It’s quite the haul, but Seattle is now in position to build around Young. Meanwhile, the Bears begin building around Fields.

At no. 5 overall, this is a no-brainer type pick for Chicago. Fields was running for his life all of last season, and even though Pro Football Focus graded the Bears’ offensive line as the 14th-best unit in 2022, fans know what they saw.

Fields was far from protected and took way too many hits. He needs a franchise left tackle, and that’s exactly what the Bears get in Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski. Drafting Skoronski allows the Bears to then move Braxton Jones to the right side, where he might be an even better fit.

Skoronski is this year’s top offensive lineman, and it’s not particularly close. The Illinois native would welcome a nearby trek to his pro debut, and the Bears would welcome the Northwestern product with open arms.

A player with high intelligence, Skoronski excels in both the run and passing game. He is effective in all schemes of the run and maybe his best trait in pass blocking comes with his elite hand usage. His football IQ is way up there, and the Bears will be fortunate to have a lineman like him in front of Fields.