As the season is nearing its end, the Chicago Bears and its fans need to move forward to 2022. A big key for 2022 is retooling a lot of the potential major losses such as Allen Robinson and Akiem Hicks. In addition, it will be about giving young quarterback Justin Fields all the help he can get.
In this mock draft, I utilized my go-to database from NFL Mock Draft Database. Using this, I traded back with my second-round pick in order to gain a fourth-round pick knowing I could get who I wanted trading back.
ATL receives:
- Round 2, Pick 39
CHI receives:
- Round 2, Pick 45
- Round 4, Pick 113
Chicago Bears Round 2, Pick 45 via ATL
With the likely departure of Allen Robinson, the Bears need to replace him with someone for the future to establish a great connection with Justin Fields. With this pick, I debated heavily between George Pickens from Georgia and David Bell out of Purdue. I settled on David Bell.
In three years at Purdue, Bell tallied 232 catches for 2,946 yards and 21 touchdowns. Just this season alone, he caught 93 passes for 1,286 yards and six touchdowns. He was additionally named the Big Ten wide receiver of the year following his impressive performances this season.
Bell has amazing traits that should translate to the NFL. For starters, he has outstanding hands displayed in multiple contested catch opportunities and his ability to catch the ball in traffic. What makes Bell special though is his route running which is beautiful. He can stop on a dime and cut with ease to create separation. That in addition to his overall athleticism paired to his great frame of 6′ 2″, 205 lbs makes him a great prospect. He does need to work on his perimeter blocking though.
Bell should be a nice refresh and transition away from Robinson. He has the potential of being a great contested catch receiver like Robinson in addition to the ability to separate as Robinson could only dream of doing. Pairing him and Mooney together along with a mid-tier free agent wide receiver would be ideal for this wide receiver core.