Getty Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson had a top 30 visit with the Bears on Wednesday, April 5.
The Chicago Bears are bringing in one of the top defensive players in the 2023 NFL draft class for an official visit as they continue exploring their options for the No. 9 overall draft pick.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson took a top 30 visit with Chicago on Wednesday, making it at least the third time the Bears have met with the star pass rusher throughout the pre-draft process. He also confirmed back in March that he had met with the Bears at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“Texas Tech edge Tyree Wilson is on a Top 30 visit with the #Bears today, source said, and he was with the #Texans yesterday,” Rapoport tweeted on April 5. “Except for Easter weekend, Wilson will be on the road nonstop for his visits with trips scheduled to nearly every team in the Top 10 [of the draft order].”
Wilson is a consensus first-round pick and a behemoth of an athlete, checking in at 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds and possessing elite length (86-inch wingspan) that makes him an ideal fit for Matt Eberflus’ defensive system in Chicago. Despite a season-ending foot injury costing him the final three games, he finished with seven tackles and 14 tackles for loss in 10 games for Texas Tech and was named a second-team All-American.
Unfortunately, the Bears will most likely need to have luck on their side if they hope to target Wilson with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft. A run on quarterbacks in the first three or four selections could help, but there are several teams in the eight picks ahead of the Bears who could realistically draft Wilson to boost their defensive lines.
Should Bears Consider Moving Up for Tyree Wilson?
The Bears took themselves out of the conversation for a handful of the top prospects in the 2023 draft class when they traded down from No. 1 to No. 9 overall in the order. Even if all of the first four selections are devoted to quarterbacks, there are still four other teams ahead of them that will most likely take guys like Will Anderson Jr., Jalen Carter and Wilson off the board before the Bears have the opportunity to pick.
Unless, of course, Chicago decides to trade back up for Wilson.
The Bears got a quality haul from their No. 1 pick trade with the Carolina Panthers, picking up an extra second-rounder both in 2023 and 2025 and an extra first-rounder in 2024 as well as star wide receiver D.J. Moore. By moving down just eight spots, the Bears also kept themselves in a position where they can still get a Day 1 starter in the first round at a key area of need, such as offensive tackle. At the same time, general manager Ryan Poles didn’t rule out the possibility of trading back up if the right situation emerged for the right blue-chip prospect.
“We’re open to that,” Poles told the Chicago Sun-Times, which also noted that he has not ruled out the possibility of trading back up further in the first round. “It depends on what the deals look like, but there’s also multiple drop-offs as you go back throughout the draft. So we might not think that’s the best way to go because a certain drop-off at a certain premium position might be coming up soon. We stay fluid.”
Bears Also Have Top 30 Visit With Gervon Dexter Sr.
The Bears have devoted a good portion of their top 30 visits to players who could be in play for them with the No. 9 overall pick, but there are also some others who have come to Chicago for official visits who could be options for them on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft. One such option is Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr., who Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reported has a visit scheduled with the Bears in the upcoming weeks.
Dexter, who is 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds, gave his draft stock a bit of boost with a strong showing at the NFL Combine last month, recording the fifth-fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.88 seconds) among all defensive linemen in attendance. The Draft Network’s profile for Dexter also lists his ideal role as a three-technique defensive tackle in a 4-3 defense, which is exactly the role the Bears would want him to play if they drafted him.
The draft projections are a little fluid when it comes to Dexter, but the Bears would most likely have to target him somewhere between the end of the second round and the beginning of the fourth round if they wanted a shot at adding to their roster.
Here’s a complete list of the Bears’ reported top 30 visits with 2023 prospects:
Deslin Alexandre, DE, Pittsburgh: (Per Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network)
Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech: (Per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago)
Adetomiwa Adebawore, IDL, Northwestern: (Per Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network)
Jalen Carter, IDL, Georgia: (Per Ryan Poles in his March 16 press conference)
Gervon Dexter Sr., IDL, Florida: (Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2)
Ricky Stromberg, OC, Arkansas: (Per Bleav Network)
Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland: (Per Justin Melo of The Draft Network)
Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State: (Per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago)
Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia:(Per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago)
Jordan McFadden, OT, Clemson: (Per Ryan Roberts of SINow)
Xazavian Valladay, RB, Arizona State: (Per Bears insider Daniel Greenberg)
Payne Durham, TE, Purdue: (Per Justin Melo of The Draft Network)
Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State: (Per Bears insider Daniel Greenberg)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State: (Per Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors)
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Virginia: (Per Jacquie Franciulli of 247 Sports)