After sitting out the first round a year ago, the Chicago Bears are once again central players in this week’s NFL draft.

The Bears secured the No. 1 pick via their league-worst 3-14 record in 2022, then traded the top spot last month to the Carolina Panthers for a package of picks — including this year’s No. 9 selection — and wide receiver DJ Moore.

Will general manager Ryan Poles continue to wheel and deal on draft night? Or will he stay put at No. 9 and look to beef up the team’s offensive or defensive line?

Here’s a look at the important details of the draft, including how to watch on TV, when the Bears will be picking and who the top local prospects are.

Catch up on our draft coverage:

It starts on Thursday and runs through Saturday.

Outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Mo.

Live draft coverage will air on ABC-7, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and NFL Network as well as the ESPN app. ABC and ESPN will have separate broadcasts the first two days and will simulcast Day 3 coverage.

Here’s the TV schedule:

Teams have 10 minutes to make first-round selections, so assuming the Bears don’t trade out of the No. 9 position, the latest their pick would have to be in is 8:30 p.m. However, teams typically average about eight minutes per first-round pick, so 8:12 might be a closer approximation of when the Bears will submit their selection.

Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Brad Biggs studied the last 21 Bears drafts dating to the start of Jerry Angelo’s tenure as GM to calculate batting averages for the franchise — by round, by position, by year and by general manager. Here’s how the Bears fared.

Draft hopefuls from Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Illinois high schools, listed in projected draft order based on a consensus of seven-round mock drafts by The Athletic, CBS Sports, Draft Countdown, Drafttek, Pro Football Network and The Sporting News.

()