As we all know, the Chicago Bears do not have a first-round draft pick in the upcoming (albeit not any time soon) 2022 NFL Draft. For anyone complaining about that, I’d like for you to take a look at the 2022 quarterback prospects and tell me who you would prefer to have as the franchise quarterback of the Chicago Bears moving forward?
Ryan Pace may have gotten the Mitch Trubisky pick wrong, and that stings. This team has been set back years because of that move. Hindsight says that he got the Matt Nagy hire wrong too. Nagy was not in my top three (funny that Matt LaFleur was though), but I was not opposed to the hire because I fell in love with the idea that he came from the Andy Reid tree. Well, like many coaches who are promoted from underneath a great coach, that does not always work out well.
Right now, the Chicago Bears are currently slotted for the eighth pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but that could change for the better or worse as there are still plenty of games left this season. I am not overly concerned with giving a top-10 pick to the New York Giants. I’d prefer that the Bears have a higher second-round pick if they are not going to make the playoffs. That said, I will not cheer for losses either.
What type of players should the Chicago Bears draft in 2022?
As I have mentioned a few times now, I’m done with the 2021 season. Obviously, I will still cheer this team on and hope that they somehow miraculously (would be mainly because of Justin Fields) back their way into the playoffs once again. However, I’m a realist as much as I am an optimist when it comes to this team and well, the 2021 season is not likely to end in a playoff birth. This is why we must focus on the development of Justin Fields and hope for an overhaul of the coaching staff — mostly Matt Nagy of course.
I recently went through the roster and mentioned who I believe the team must focus on building around as they head into the 2022 season next year. Most are obvious choices, however, I will make it known that I left both running backs off the list. It’s a sad state for running backs in regards to respect in the NFL, but it’s a proven fact that most are replaceable. This is not a knock on David Montgomery or Khalil Herbert, it’s just how the league works these days.
In a sense, I guess Khalil Herbert could have been mentioned as he will be here for a while, but I am hopeful the team does not overpay Montgomery, even though I do love his abilities at the position. With both on the roster in 2022, I didn’t look to draft one in my recent mock draft. With that said, here’s a look at how things could look in this very, very early 2022 mock draft.