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The 2023 NFL Draft is slated to begin on April 27th at the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chicago Bears have 10 selections in the draft, and did plenty of work in the off-season to narrow down their list of targets. A player that should definitely still be on that list, and is a perfect fit for the Bears, is Pittsburgh Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.
The Bears addressed needs on both sides of the ball through trade and free-agency this summer, and the most glaring hole on the roster still exists on the defensive line. They brought in defensive linemen DeMarcus Walker and Andrew Billings via free agency, but neither will be expected to completely transform the abysmal output from last year. Targeting a player like Calijah Kancey could pay dividends for the Bears in 2023 and beyond.
In terms of the rest of the roster, the core position groups seem to be lining up. On defense, linebacker will be held down by Tremaine Edmunds, Jack Sanborn, and TJ Edwards. The secondary will look the same as last season, headlined by Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson. The offense was also given a substantial upgrade since the 2022 NFL season ended.
GM Ryan Poles traded the first overall pick to the Panthers for a package that included star WR DJ Moore, who will now join a receiver room with Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney as the three key guys. At the tight end position, Cole Kmet will be joined by former Green Bay Packer Robert Tonyan. Joining Justin Fields and Khalil Herbert in the backfield will be running backs D'Onta Foreman and Travis Homer. All of these new faces, and the rebuild underway on defense, signals to one key need for the Bears: defensive tackle.
Calijah Kancey is the ideal player for the Bears to target in the 2023 NFL Draft, and there are two reasons why.
*Draft profile via NFL
Two Reasons why the Bears need to select Calijah Kancey in the NFL Draft
1. Speed to the quarterback
Calijah Kancey had the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL combine since 2003. He posted a time of 4.67, faster than fellow Pittsburgh Panther, and future NFL Hall of Fame inductee, Aaron Donald. His speed at the defensive tackle position is the exact intangible the Bears covet and quite frankly need.
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As a full time starter in Pittsburgh in the last two seasons, Kancey had 14.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss. Although he is undersized, he is extremely explosive and has a first step that will immediately make him a handful for interior offensive linemen in the NFL. Throughout college, he regularly swam right past interior offensive linemen with moves just too fast for his opponents.
Not only is he a quick first step, but his ability to lose and change direction just as quickly keeps him in plays. He really is the ideal pass rusher for the Bears defensive line that doesn't have any game breakers currently on the roster. Drafting Kancey will immediately give Chicago the potential for an elite pass rusher. His speed will put enough pressure on opposing offenses to gameplay for him deliberately, thus opening gaps for his fellow defensive linemen. The Bears have a need for speed, and Calijah Kancey could give it to them.
2. Defensive culture
In the history of the Bears, their best teams were galvanized behind a defense that was led by a superstar. The 1985 Super Bowl Champions had William “The Fridge” Perry. The 2006 NFC Champions would go as middle linebacker Brian Urlacher would go. The NFC North champions in 2018 had one of the best defensive ends in the game in Khalil Mack. All of these guys were the heartbeat of their respective Bears teams, and Calijah Kancey has the chance to become that.
Coming into the draft, Kancey has heard the comparisons. Both coming out of Pittsburgh slightly undersized but with elite athleticism, Kancey and Aaron Donald are the same NFL prototype. Kancey can't lean too much into the comparison, but being grouped with the best defender in the NFL is not something to complain about.
Kancey has the potential to grow into a Donald caliber player, and he would be revered in Chicago. Perry, Urlacher, and Mack were legends at Soldier Field and crafted a culture on the defensive side of the ball that everyone around the Bears loved. Kancey would come in with an opportunity to already be a leader on the defensive line and start building a locker room culture from year one. If all went well, he would become the next face of a storied defense in NFL history. If the Bears want to return to their Monsters of the Midway status, they need to select their next defensive leader in Calijah Kancey in the 2023 NFL Draft.
