After falling in the first round a year ago, the Chicago Bears are once again central players in this week’s NFL draft.
The Bears secured the No. 1 through a league-worst 3-14 record since 2022, then traded in first place last month to the Carolina Panthers for a package of picks — including the no. 9 of this year — and wide receiver DJ Moore.
Will general manager Ryan Poles keep walking and busy on draft night? Or will he stay in 9th place and search strengthens the team’s offensive or defensive line?
Here’s a look at the important details of the draft, including how to watch on TV, when the Bears will pick and who the top local prospects are.
Stay up to date on our coverage project:
When is the NFL Draft?
It starts on Thursday and runs until Saturday.
Where is it being held this year?
Outside Union Station in Kansas City, Mo.
How to track
Live coverage will air on ABC-7, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and NFL Network, as well as the ESPN app. ABC and ESPN will have separate telecasts for the first two days and simulcast Day 3 coverage.
Here is the TV schedule:
- Thursday (round 1): 19.00
- Friday (rounds 2-3): 18.00
- Saturday (shifts 4-7): 11am
What time will the Bears pick?
Teams have 10 minutes to make their first-round picks, so assuming the Bears don’t move out of the No. 9, the last choice where it should be 8:30 p.m. However, teams typically average about eight minutes per first-round pick, so 8:12 might be a closer approximation of when the Bears will send their selection.
Bears 2023
- Round 1, no. 9
- Round 2, no. 53
- Round 2, no. 61
- Round 3, no. 64
- Round 4, no. 103
- Round 4, no. 133
- Round 5, no. 136
- Round 5, no. 148
- Round 7, no. 218
- Round 7, no. 258
Previous elections no. 9 by the Bears
- 1941: Don Scott, HB, Ohio State
- 1943: Bob Steuber, HB, Missouri
- 1944: Ray Evans, HB, Kansas
- 1979: Al Harris, DE, Arizona State
- 2000: Brian UrlacherLB, New Mexico
- 2016: Leonard FloydLB, Georgia
How have the Bears fared in the draft lately?
Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Brad Biggs studied the past 21 Bears drafts dating back to the start of Jerry Angelo’s tenure as general manager to calculate batting averages for the franchise — by round, by position, by year and by general manager. Here’s how the Bears fared.
Local insights to watch
High school prospects from Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Illinois listed in the draft order based on a seven-round consensus mock draft by The Athletic, CBS Sports, Countdown draft, Drafttek, The Professional Soccer Network and Sports News.
- Devon WitherspoonCB, Illinois, 1st round
- Peter SkoronskiOL, Northwest/Maine Sud, 1
- Lukas Van Ness, wing, Iowa/Barrington, first
- Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame, 1
- Isaiah Foskey, wing, Notre Dame, 1-3
- Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern, 2nd
- John Michael SchmitzC, Minnesota/Homewood-Flossmoor, 2nd
- Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M/East St. Louis, 2-3
- Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa/Highland, Ill., 2-3
- Quan MartinS, Illinois, 2-4
- Sydney BrownS, Illinois, 3-4
- Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State/Naperville Central/Metea Valley, 3-5
- Jarrett Patterson, OL, Notre Dame, 3-6
- Nick Broeker, OL, Mississippi/Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, Nos. 4-6
- Chase BrownRB, Illinois, 4-6
- Brandon Joseph, S, Notre Dame, 4-6
- Cameron Mitchell, CB, Northwestern/Bolingbrook, 4-7
- Charlie Jones, WR, Purdue/Deerfield, 4-7
- Aidan O’ConnellQB, Purdue/Stevenson, 4-7
- Evan Hull, RB, Northwestern, 5-7
- Jahleel BillingsleyTE, Texas/Phillips, 6th-UFA
- Tommy DeVito, QB, Illinois, 7-UFA
- Calvin Avery, DL, Illinois, 7-UFA
- Jason Lewan, wing, Illinois State/Yorkville, 7-UFA
- Mariano Sori-Marin, LB, Minnesota/Providence, UFA
- Xazavian Valladay, RB, Arizona State/Brother Rice, UFA
- Dalton Wagner, OL, Arkansas/Richmond-Burton, UFA
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