In the Vintage Football League draft, the Chicago Bears managed to secure the 14th spot in the draft order, setting the tone for their less-than-stellar performance. With a draft grade of F, it's safe to say that their picks left much to be desired. The Bears' projected finish of 11th place reflects their lackluster draft, as they are expected to struggle with a projected record of 4-9-2 and a total of 417 points. To make matters worse, they have the 5th toughest schedule out of the 14 teams, making their uphill battle even steeper.
While the Bears did have a glimmer of hope with their best pick, DJ Moore, who was drafted at 98 despite having an ADP of 56, it was overshadowed by their worst pick, Cole Kmet, who was drafted at 42 despite having an ADP of 125. Talk about a swing and a miss! Adding insult to injury, the Bears seemed to have a strange affinity for one particular team, as they drafted a whopping 8 players from the same team. Perhaps they were hoping for some sort of magical synergy, but it's more likely that they just weren't paying attention. All in all, the Chicago Bears' draft performance leaves much to be desired, and it's safe to say that they have a long season ahead of them. Looks like the bears will be hibernating this year!
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ADP Analysis
Bars above zero indicate a pick was selected later than a player's ADP. Bars below zero show players that were taken earlier than their ADP.
Inside the Draft
Player Outlooks
- Round 1, Pick 14 - Bye 6
2023 Rank: 69 - 2022 Rank: 17
Fields had the second-best rushing season ever for a quarterback, and the Bears really didn't turn him loose until just before mid season. Durability down the stretch became a concern, as he injured his shoulder. Fields lacked legitimate receiving weapons last season. As a result, it was very difficult for the passing game to have any consistency. There was a short period of time after the coaching staff opened up the offense in which he had both Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet, and they had moderate success during that time. But Fields threw for over 190 yards just twice, with 254 being his highest mark of the season. However, he did throw touchdown passes in 11 of his last 13 games. With the team adding DJ Moore at receiver, Fields now goes into 2023 with a legitimate arsenal of weapons. If he's even passable as a thrower, this offense can quickly make a massive jump forward. And as long as Fields has his rushing ability, he'll be a very high-floor fantasy option. Improved passing production could make him elite.
- Round 2, Pick 28 - Bye 13
2023 Rank: 94 - 2022 Rank: 147
Herbert was used sparingly during the first two years of his career. Despite significantly out-producing teammate David Montgomery on a yards-per-carry basis, he had just 129 rushing attempts last year. His 5.7 yards per carry was earned on a 90th percentile broken tackle rate and 94th percentile yards after contact. Despite playing in nine games in which he had 10 or fewer carries, he still ended up with more than 50 rushing yards in seven games. He was very seldom used as a receiver. However, that may have much to do with Montgomery having been a strong receiver for the team. After the team added D'Onta Foreman in free agency and Roschon Johnson in the fourth round of the draft, Herbert's role is uncertain. It would seem that at best, he'll be an early-down change of pace along with work on receiving downs. The worst-case scenario would have him seeing a handful of touches each week. A reasonable expectation is that he'll see 5-10 carries and 1-4 targets in most games.
- Round 3, Pick 42 - Bye 13
2023 Rank: 152 - 2022 Rank: 183
There were positives and negatives to be taken from Kmet's 2022 season. He set career highs with seven touchdowns, 7.9 yards per target and 10.9 yards perception. However, his targets fell from 93 to 69, so obviously his catches and production regressed from 2021. Chicago had a nearly invisible passing attack early in the season. As a result, Kmet had 16 or fewer yards in four of the first six games. Things ended up getting better as the season went on. He didn't fall below 27 yards in any of his last nine games. And during that time Kmet saw between five and seven targets in seven of those contests. He'll benefit from the Bears having added DJ Moore to the wide receiver rotation. Between Moore and Darnell Mooney, Chicago has speed on the outside, which should open up room in the middle of the field for Kmet to operate. It's unlikely Kmet moves into the top tier of fantasy tight ends. But based on demonstrated ability and the potential for increased opportunity, Kmet has a solid chance to end up as a top-10 tight end.
- Round 4, Pick 56 - Bye 11
2023 Rank: 150 - 2022 Rank: 290
Mooney had a strong season in 202, but with the Bears starting the 2022 season with an offense that had no intention of passing the football, he got off to a horrible start. He had four catches for 27 yards through the first three games. Finally, Chicago started to address their passing attack. Mooney went on to post at least 50 yards in each of his next five games, and in his final eight games, he averaged 58 yards per game. He then suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. With the Bears adding DJ Moore to the wide receiver rotation, Mooney now should slot in as the second option. And with the full expectation that the team will try to feature Justin Fields as a passer, the offense has a chance to explode. If that happens, Mooney is in a great position to have a bounce-back season. Even if he doesn't see the massive target share he saw in 2021, he'll see less attention, and the quality of targets could improve. Mooney can win routes at all levels of the field. He'll have every opportunity to have a productive season. He may be severely undervalued in fantasy drafts if the Bears offense breaks out.
- Round 5, Pick 70 - Bye 13
2023 Rank: 316 - 2022 Rank: 59
Since the Bears drafted Justin Fields in 2021, Santos has averaged fewer than six points per game. Despite his low fantasy production, he connected on 90.6 percent of his field-goal attempts, which has made him one of the most-accurate kickers in the league. For those who believe the Bears offense is on the verge of a breakout, Santos is defensible as a top-12 fantasy option. However, if the offense remains a work in progress, Santos will lack consistent fantasy value.
DEF - Round 6, Pick 84 - Bye 13
2023 Rank: 356 - 2022 Rank: 153
Last year, the Bears were in the discussion as the worst defense in the league. They allowed the most points (463) while registering the fewest sacks (20). Due to some solid playmakers in the secondary, their 14 interceptions were slightly better than league average. The team made serious investments this offseason in their front seven. However, that probably moves the unit from 'liability' to 'decent.' They need both T.J. Edwards and Terrell Edmunds to play as well as they did last year -- if they do, that would give them a big boost. The CB group was bad last year, but Jalyon Johnson was decent, and if Kyler Gordon can figure things out after a bad rookie year, that would help. They invested a second-round pick on Tyrique Stevenson, and if he pans out, this unit could be trending upward. After having a great rookie season from Jaquan Brisker, he and Eddie Jackson may be one of the better duos in the league. Overall, this unit would need a lot of 'best-case scenarios' to be good, but it does seem headed in the right direction. With the defensive line still having significant question marks, the Bears still project to have issues pressuring opposing quarterbacks. They should be improved, but it's unlikely they will rise above the bottom-quarter of defenses.
- Round 7, Pick 98 - Bye 13
2023 Rank: 65 - 2022 Rank: 159
Moore hadn't been able to catch a break with the quarterbacks he's played with throughout his career. He is one of the most gifted receivers in the league, but we've yet to see him unlocked. Last year's 888 yards was the first time since his rookie year he's posted less than 1,157 yards. Of course, in his worst yardage season, he scored seven touchdowns, which was the first time in his career he had more than four. Using him in fantasy lineups was a rollercoaster ride. He had four games with fewer than 10 yards but three games with more than 100. He also was limited to 10-30 yards on four other occasions. He's still young as he enters his age-26 season. The good news is that even though we've yet to see it, Justin Fields should be the best QB he's ever played with. And if Fields plays to his perceived ability, Moore could be in line for a career year. But even if Fields doesn't show major improvement, with Moore as the clear lead receiver on the team, his floor should be the 1,150 yards and four touchdowns he averaged between 2019-2021.
- Round 8, Pick 112 - Bye 13
2023 Rank: 282 - 2022 Rank: 286
Claypool was traded midseason from the Steelers to the Bears last year. He played seven games with Chicago but had only 14 receptions for 140 yards as a part-timer in a run-heavy offense. This season, Claypool should slot in behind DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney as the third option in the passing attack. Tight end Cole Kmet will be involved as well, and Claypool will have to work for targets. At 6-foot-4, 238, with 4.42 speed, Claypool has both the size and speed to grow into a big role. Of course, Claypool didn't show much improvement during his years with the Steelers, so it's possible that a breakout will never occur.
- Round 9, Pick 126 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 10, Pick 140 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 11, Pick 154 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 12, Pick 168 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 13, Pick 182 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 14, Pick 196 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 15, Pick 210 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 16, Pick 224 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
Team Forecast
Bye Week Points Lost
Each bar represents the total projected season points for each player that's on bye that week. This chart shows any potential bye week issues.
Schedule by Opponent Points
Week-by-week schedule with each opponent's projected season points. This chart shows any difficult or easy stretches in the schedule.
