The five biggest draft needs of the Chicago Bears
By Evan Bruner
Chicago Bears Need No. 3: Interior offensive line
Though the unit improved later in the season, the Bears’ offensive line was still a major weakness in the 2021 season. Justin Fields took a lot of tough shots in his rookie season, and his offensive line is largely responsible for that. On top of this, the Bears’ two best offensive linemen from last season, Jason Peters and James Daniels are gone.
There are some reasons for optimism on the outside, as Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom were only rookies last year and will presumably improve in 2022. However, the interior has some more questions. Replacing Daniels with Lucas Patrick is likely to be a downgrade, and Sam Mustipher was one of the lowest-rated centers in football last season. This unit still has a long way to go.
Potential Targets
If the Bears are still unsure where everyone on the line will play in 2022, Kenyon Green would be a perfect player to target. Green took snaps from left tackle, left guard, right guard, and right tackle at Texas A&M. He even had one rep at center in 2020. Since the Bears are still figuring out who will play where next year, having a player who can play anywhere on the line would be a major plus.
Boston College’s Zion Johnson is another lineman that played tackle and guard in college. Johnson was a staple of consistency on the line and had little bad tape from last season, allowing only one sack and two QB hits. Johnson would be a safe pick and fit in nicely in Chicago.
Bottom line: The Bears owe it to Justin Fields to get better on the offensive line. For him to take the year two jump people are hoping for, he will need better protection.