Chicago Bears: Way too early 2022 NFL mock draft
With their third-round pick, the Chicago Bears select: Nik Bonitto, EDGE – Oklahoma
There are plenty of ways this team could have gone with their third-round pick in this 2022 mock draft. As I mentioned, there are plenty of holes that need to be filled as the team tears down and rebuilds everything. It might have been the recent Khalil Mack news that swayed me, but this team needs to find some young talent at the EDGE position.
We won’t know what type of defense the Chicago Bears will run in 2022. It will be dependent on what happens with Matt Nagy and the coaching staff. For now, I’ll assume that they maintain a 3-4 base package seeing that the personnel is more suited for it.
One might argue that with Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn and Travis Gipson under contract, taking another EDGE rusher this early isn’t worth it. I don’t completely disagree and looked at a few other positions, but Nik Bonitto fit my best player available mentality that I use when drafting.
Bonitto looks to be an ideal fit as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. While playing for the Sooners, he has been a consistent force behind the line of scrimmage. Last year he finished with 11.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks. This year he currently has 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Bonitto has great speed and a high motor that you see even on plays he disappears. He needs to develop some counter moves if he wants to start in the NFL and who better to learn from Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn?