The 2026 NFL Draft is just a few days away from beginning, and it will be yet another opportunity for the Chicago Bears to improve their roster under general manager Ryan Poles. This will be Poles' fifth draft as Bears general manager, and he has a high bar to clear after he seemingly found multiple impact players a year ago while working with head coach Ben Johnson.
Of course, we know grading a draft just one year out isn't a valuable exercise. Things can change a couple years down the road as players develop or flame out after showing promise. That's why we're taking a look back at the 2023 Bears draft class.
Many analysts prefer to wait three years to fully grade a team's NFL draft class. Those three years are up for the 2023 class, which featured Poles' inaugural first-round pick of his Bears tenure. Here are our final grades on the Bears' 2023 NFL Draft class.
The Bears held the No. 9 overall pick in 2023 after trading out of the top spot in a blockbuster deal with the Carolina Panthers, and they had the chance to select Georgia standout defensive tackle Jalen Carter, the consensus top prospect who fell right into their laps. Instead, they traded out again to No. 10 to take tackle Darnell Wright to fortify their offensive line in a move that was criticized almost immediately. Three years later, and it seems things worked out for Poles with Wright.
In selecting Wright, the Bears took a tackle with a top-10 pick for the first time in 40 years. Wright immediately started at right tackle and showed plenty of promise but struggled to consistently play at a high level and manage penalties. He wasn't helped by the turnstile at right guard, playing next to numerous players due to injuries and ineffectiveness.
Entering Year 3, there were questions as to whether or not Wright would become a top tackle or simply be a solid starter. Those questions were answered thanks to the arrival of head coach Ben Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar. Wright was finally able to put it all together, becoming a dominant tackle and earning Second-Team All-Pro honors. The Bears are expected to pick up Wright's fifth-year option, and he is a prime candidate for a contract extension this offseason.
Though the Bears passed on defensive line help in the first round, they made it a priority on Day 2. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter was selected with the No. 53 overall pick out of Florida. Dexter began rotating with veterans Justin Jones and Andrew Billings his rookie year before taking a bigger role in 2024 as a full-time starter.
Over the last three years, Dexter has been a slightly above-average defensive tackle. He has solid sack numbers (11 over the last two seasons), and his run defense has improved since coming into the league. However, issues that plagued him in college, such as a slow get-off and playing too high, have continued to persist at the pro level while playing in multiple systems.
Despite trade rumors at the NFL Combine, Dexter will be an integral part of the Bears' 2026 defensive line alongside Grady Jarrett. We'll see if he does enough to warrant a contract extension, but this pick through three years has been fine at best.
The Bears couldn't wait to find out if cornerback Tyrique Stevenson would be available at pick No. 61, so they traded up with the Jacksonville Jaguars to select the Miami product at pick No. 57. Stevenson was a lengthy cornerback who projected as an outside starter opposite Jaylon Johnson. Though he had a trial by fire early on his rookie season, Stevenson was developing well and came on strong near the end of the year, totaling four interceptions and 16 pass breakups.
His career arc changed, however, during his sophomore season when he was the prime culprit of the Washington Commanders' last-second Hail Mary victory. Stevenson was distracted and was out of position as the Bears suffered one of the most painful regular season losses in franchise history. From there, Stevenson saw his playing time decrease, and he never fully rebounded from that infamous play for the rest of the season.
With a new staff and a fresh start in Year 3, Stevenson's play improved in 2025. He made a key forced fumble in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys and picked off his first pass of the year a week later. Stevenson also allowed just one touchdown all year, but he was the odd man out when Jaylon Johnson returned from his injury and Nahshon Wright continued his strong play.
Through all of his ups and downs, Stevenson settles in as an average cornerback. He has the length and size to be a physical defensive back, but he's lost his starting job twice in two seasons now. Considering the Bears also traded up for him, it's hard to not be disappointed with this selection.
The Bears double-dipped on Day 2 at defensive tackle when they selected Zacch Pickens out of South Carolina at the beginning of the third round. The hope was that he and Dexter would eventually become solid contributors on the line to eventually take over for Justin Jones and Andrew Billings. While Dexter at least ascended to become a capable defender at his position, Pickens never got off the ground.
Pickens was undersized going into the NFL and immediately struggled in training camp. He wasn't effective at shedding blocks, and his quickness wasn't enough to get through NFL linemen. After a lackluster rookie campaign, Pickens struggled to stay on the field, both because of injuries and ineffective play. He totaled just 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss in 26 career games with the Bears and was cut before the start of his third season.
The Bears needed a power back to replace the departed David Montgomery in 2023, and everyone believed they found a suitable replacement with Roschon Johnson. As a backup to star Bijan Robinson at Texas, Johnson was extremely reliable and didn't have the same wear and tear as other backs in the draft. He was a popular pick to be the best rookie out of the gate for the team, but his impact didn't go as far as people thought.
During his rookie season, Johnson never was able to take over the starting job from Khalil Herbert and ran for just 352 yards, never reaching 40 yards in a single game. In 2024, Johnson was reduced to a short-yardage back, something he was successful at. He had six rushing touchdowns on just 55 carries. But even that got taken from him in 2025, as Johnson was only used on special teams, sans four offensive snaps.
His days as a dependable running back appear to be over in Chicago, and now his best chance to hang around is with special teams. It's not the worst fate for a fourth-round pick, but expectations were much higher for Johnson when he arrived.
No Bears draft pick appeared to be a bigger steal than Tyler Scott. The former Cincinnati receiver was viewed as a Day 2 pick and fell to the Bears in the fourth round to give them a versatile and speedy threat. Unlike Velus Jones from a year earlier, Scott was more polished and had more upside as a deep threat in the NFL. He wasn't able to put it all together, though.
Despite standing out in training camp and the preseason, Scott could never translate that success to the regular season. He only ever had success with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent his rookie season and quickly became an afterthought in Year 2. In two seasons, Scott had just 18 catches for 173 yards and was one of the final cuts going into 2025. Considering his potential and where he was projected to go, Scott is the second-biggest miss of this draft behind Pickens.