With the NFL combine in the rearview mirror, most NFL fans will start to get ready for the 2022 NFL Draft. The combine is a great place to get a look at every prospect and how they compare to their peers, but also how they interview. Now that this is over, we will focus on another Chicago Bears mock draft.
Past mock drafts have predicted players such as Roquan Smith, Jaylon Johnson, Bilal Nichols, and more. With that in mind, this mock is looking to be predictive and mention players with legitimate chances of being drafted.
To find the players’ draft position I used PFF mock draft simulator, so if you have an issue with when they get selected, take it up with them. Besides, this exercise is more to discuss fit than anything else.
The Chicago Bears are likely to take a wide receiver with their first pick, and luckily for them this is a deep class that promises to have strong talent fall into the second round. Skyy Moore is a player that was not on many radars a few weeks ago, but now all the talk is that he will be selected in the first 60 picks.
With that in mind, he is the perfect fit for the Chicago Bears as well. Moore is mostly a slot wide out, but he often can go deep out of the slot as often as he hits the underneath. His 4.41 speed at the combine showed that he has the burners to beat NFL corners.
The Bears need a slot wide out, but we all know that Justin Fields is much more deadly on his deep balls than in timing routes. Moore is a prototypical slot, but the ability to extend the field is something most slots do not possess. This makes a great fit.
Moore compares very favorably to Christian Kirk, who is expected to get $12M per year on the open market. Moore is a cheaper, and younger version of Kirk and could be a better consolation prize than the big free agent.
The testing portions of the combine can be important in some ways, and one in particular in the short shuttles for an offensive lineman. As Josh Norris points out in the tweet below, when offensive linemen hit a certain threshold in the short shuttle, the majority of players turn into starters.
There is something about having a quick and powerful lower body that translates to being a great tackle. This makes sense. As you can see below, a few names entered the list of certified starters, and one name is Kellen Diesch.
We'd be talking about Diesch as a 2nd rounder if his arms weren't so short.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) March 5, 2022
You can also see in the thread that Dane Brugle mentions that length is the reason that Diesch is not a round pick or higher. Well, to start, we will take him in round three then, and the fall would be worth it here.
The other aspect is that Liam Eichenberg fell in the draft last year because of his length. He was expected to play guard but spent most of his rookie season at tackle. Perhaps the quick feet can overcome the length?
Beyond that, when you are talking about pick 71 overall, you are getting a player who fell for some reason or another. To have the upside of a lock-down starter with excellent feet is worth the downside of having to move him inside because of his length. Do not expect Ryan Poles to go too long without adding an offensive lineman.
Cam Jurgens is an intriguing prospect. While most centers can also flip inside to guard, Jurgens is a center only, and that may cause him to fall in the draft. Still, the Chicago Bears have had plenty of guards/centers and may be ready to focus on a full-time center.
Jurgens also has to play under control more, and these are reasons they will be able to draft him in the fifth round. Still, with all of that begins him, we are talking about a player with upside to be a starter in the NFL.
Again, this is a player who dominated the combine and showed to be one of the more athletic players in Indianapolis last week. It shows that if he can start to play under control he may be the steal of the draft and a starter for a long time coming.
The Chicago Bears have the obvious need at center, and while a fifth-round rookie is not going to be the answer, they can start to develop him and have him take on the mentality that Ryan Poles wants in his lineman. It is tough to find three starters with picks coming in rounds three and five, but the hope is the Chicago Bears can do that.
This draft wound up skewing away from the defense. One thing that Matt Eberflus has in his pocket is the ability to recruit his own free agents on defense. Eberflus was hands-on with many of these players, and linebacker, cornerback, and safety all could be filled with formers Colts, Cowboys, and even Chiefs that Ryan Poles knows.
The Chicago Bears have to build their offense up through the draft, and while they avoided most defensive positions, they do find a defensive tackle late in the draft.
The defensive line is the position Eberflus has the fewest connections to free agents, and beyond that, these late rounds are a great place to take a player without much upside, but that you know can plug a hole and step up into the middle of the defense. The team will likely be losing Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols and Akiem Hicks, so Butler can surely add to the depth in a way that is absolutely needed.
The Chicago Bears went offensive line heavy already, but this is the Icing that shows what exactly Ryan Poles is trying to build. As noted, with Jurgens being a day three pick and Diesch having the length concern drop him to the third round, it is not like they just added two All-Pros and everything is fine.
With Bruss, they have depth and competition and start to bring in guys who are going to do things their way for the foreseeable future. Bruss is a tackle but many are speculating he moves inside to guard. Either way, the swing value is what the Chicago Bears want to see in round six.
They also want to see the heavy emphasis on the offensive line.