Chicago Bears Add To Defense With Their Day 2 Picks

After getting quarterback Justin Fields help in the first round, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles goes with defense in the second and third.

On the second night of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears add to the defense. General manager Ryan Poles gave quarterback Justin Fields help by drafting offensive lineman Darnell Wright.

Now Poles puts his attention to the trenches and improving the secondary. With the 53rd overall pick, he selected defensive tackle Gervon Dexter out of Florida.

Dexter is a big man who takes up a lot of space. He measures in at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds. He will plug up the middle and use his length to bat some passes down.

Dexter had a solid two seasons with Florida, racking up 105 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. That did not tell the whole story, however. He garnered a lot of attention. That created space for the outside guys and the linebackers to break into the backfield.

Now Dexter does the same for the Chicago Bears. Chicago ranked last in sacks and quarterback hits in 2022. They also struggled against the run. Taking up attention and space, Dexter will help improve that.

Poles pulls the trigger on another trade

Poles made a trade to move down one spot in the first round. He was not finished, however. He traded the 61st and 135th picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up to 56.

With that pick, Poles helped the secondary. He picked Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

Stevenson fits well with the Monsters of the Midway mentality. He has good length at 6-foot-0 and 200 pounds. He can stay with the bigger receivers in the league. Additionally, he is a tough player. He loves to hit and he hits hard. He is very good in press-man coverage. If the receiver gets past the press, Stevenson has good make-up speed to catch up and make the play.

Stevenson does a good job of going for the ball at the highest catch point. He is very athletic and has great body control to make the 50/50 plays.

Now, with Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, and Eddie Jackson, the Chicago Bears have a very tough, athletic secondary.

The Bears stay in the trenches in the third round

Poles stuck to his plan of improving the defense in the trenches. With the 64th pick (first pick in the third round) Poles went with defensive tackle Zacch Pickens out of South Carolina.

Pickens is 6-foot-4, 305 pounds. He is athletic for his size. He has an explosive first step that gives him an advantage in either the run or pass.

Pickens has fast hands and good footwork that complement those hands. He can play either tackle spot so he gives defensive coordinator Alan Williams some flexibility. He recognizes the play and responds quickly. His balance is good and you will rarely see him off-balance.

Poles wanted to improve in the trenches. He did that with his two defensive tackles. He also improved the secondary. For the third time in four drafts, the Chicago Bears pick a cornerback.

Now they are set up to stop the run with the big guys in the middle. Those guys will also do a good job of freeing up space for the pass rushers. When the pass goes in the air, Chicago has the secondary players to make big plays.

On the last day of the draft, the Bears will have two picks in the fourth round (#103 and #133), one in the fifth round (#148), and two in the seventh round (#218 and #258).