Chicago Bears: Grading all picks in 2023 NFL Draft

Round 7, #218: Travis Bell, DT, Kennesaw State

What do you know, Poles goes with another defensive tackle! He picks up his third one by selecting Kennesaw State’s Travis Bell, the first player from that school to be selected in the NFL Draft.

Bell is athletic and has a lot of high energy. He could use to bulk up a bit, however. Additionally, he has the strength to knock offensive linemen back and the speed to get past them quickly. If his first move doesn’t work, he will continue to fight and make the lineman work.

Poles looked at what he had in the middle and decided it just was not strong or mean enough. Now he has a deep unit that will wear down opponents instead of wearing down themselves. Grade: B-

Round 7, #258: Kendall Williamson, S, Stanford

After tripling down on the defensive line, Poles goes and triples down on the secondary. This time it is safety Kendall Williamson from Stanford.

The six-foot tall, 205-pound Williamson played 44 games with Stanford. He recorded 213 tackles (11 tackles for loss) 1.5 sacks, one interception, 13 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Williamson is another athletic, high-motored player who will play hard on every snap he plays. He provides the Bears with good run support. He does, however, need to improve his coverage skills. He will need to fight to make the team but can improve while on the practice squad and give the Chicago Bears good depth at safety. Grade: C