Bears select Minnesota CB Terell Smith with 165th pick in 2023 NFL Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
With the 165th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles selected Minnesota cornerback Terell Smith.
"Terell Smith I think physically and athletically has what you want. Six foot and-a-half, 205 pounds," ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr said on the broadcast. "That 4.4 translated to the field...
"The kids played good, solid football for the Golden Gophers. That impressive size-speed combination you saw on the field... has the traits and the mentality you want.
"Closes quickly when he reads the quarterback's eyes. Anticipates well. I thought he was a good tackler overall. In coverage, down the field he was making plays late in coverage which is what you want to see out of a corner moving forward into the NFL. I thought his ball skills are still a work in progress.
"He got after it, playing a physical brand of football for that cornerback spot for the Golden Gophers."
"He has an intriguing blend of length, speed and physicality to match up with NFL receivers on the outside," The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote. "He is a physical press-man corner prospect."
Smith is especially fast. In high school he won the Georgia state championship in the 100 meters as a junior and the 200 meters as a sophomore.
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Smith is the second cornerback Poles selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
In the second round, Poles traded up to No. 56 pick to take Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Stevenson is the third cornerback taken in the second round in the past four drafts for the Bears.
The Bears drafted cornerback Kyler Gordon with their second-round pick in 2022, No. 39 overall. It was also the Bears' first pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and Poles' first pick as the general manager of the Bears. And in 2020, then general manager Ryan Pace drafted Jaylon Johnson in the second round with the 50th overall pick.
In the first round the Bears traded down from No. 9 to No. 10. They used the 10th overall pick to select Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright. Wright figures to be an immediate starter on the right side of the offensive line, protecting Justin Fields.
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With their first pick in the second round, the Bears selected Florida defensive lineman Gervon Dexter.
In the third round, with the 64th pick overall, the Bears selected South Carolina defensive lineman Zacch Pickens.
With the Bears' first pick on Day 3, Chicago selected Texas running back Roschon Johnson with 115th. The Bears were slated to make the first pick of Round 4, but traded back with the New Orleans Saints, picking up an extra fifth-round pick in the process.
Then the Bears selected Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Scott with the 133rd overall pick, the Bears' second and final pick of the fourth round.
With the Bears' first pick of the fifth round, the 148th overall, Chicago selected Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell. Sewell's brother Penei was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the seventh overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
