Chicago Bears find a starting-caliber left tackle in this 2022 NFL mock draft

The Chicago Bears move back again and collect more picks

Ryan Poles was ready to call in his pick in the third round when Chris Ballard of the Colts called. Ballard wanted to leapfrog the Seahawks and offered Poles a trade that he would have been a fool to pass up. Poles gained a fourth-round pick this year, while sending a fifth-round pick in 2023 back to the Colts.

As the Chicago Bears were about to make their new third-round selection at pick No. 73, the Denver Broncos came calling. Apparently, general manager George Paton was not done with making moves to improve the Broncos in 2022 and saw a player he must have. The Chicago Bears were able to acquire another pick in next year’s draft (replacing the one they sent to the Colts) in the process and if I were Ryan Poles (I am in this case), I’d hit that “accept button” right away.

The Bears moved back only four spots but moved up from their first fifth-rounder into the fourth-round where Ryan Poles was missing a pick. The team also gained a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft in the process.

I’ll admit, I was nervous about taking this trade because there was a player that I wanted to grab in the third round who was still on the board. It was hard not to just select that player to ensure he was the Chicago Bears’ next pick, but the risk paid off as he fell from 71 to 75 anyway. With this next move, Ryan Poles reunites Justin Fields with one of his former players.