Why Chicago Bears may wait to draft a wide receiver
The Chicago Bears are likely to draft a wide receiver on day two of the 2022 NFL draft. The question becomes whether or not they will do this at pick 39, 48, or 71. While fans will be pushing for the team to do it early as possible and get the help that Justin Fields needs, there is a legitimate chance that the team will be waiting until pick 71 to do so.
Should Chicago Bears address premium positions first?
By all accounts, it appears as though the Bears’ other options for round two would include a defensive lineman, a three-technique like Larry Ogunjobi was, or an offensive lineman. We saw how valuable the 3T is in the Eberflus defense and the fact that they lost on Ogunjobi probably has them viewing the spot as a need, and we know that they can go any direction on the offensive line.
While these are valuable positions because it is harder to find big men that you can trust, this particular draft may also push the Bears to draft these spots high.
The top defensive lineman is listed below. You can argue there is a big drop below these guys.
Jordan Davis
Devonte Wyatt
Travis Jones
Logan Hall
Perrion Winfrey
DeMarvin Leal
The top offensive lineman is below, and you can argue that below this tier is another big drop.
Ikem Ekwonu
Evan Neal
Charles Cross
Bernhard Raimann
Trevor Penning
Tyler Smith
Zion Johnson
Tyler Linderbaum
Kenyon Green
Considering the drop-off in both of these positions, if they can get any of the names above, they probably have to wait on a wide receiver.
Another factor is that the wide receiver is being pushed up. Recently Daniel Jeremiah said that seven may go in the first round. The Bears may miss out on the tier where they will find value at wideout, and this may push some of these players down to 39 and 48.
Logan Hall, Perrion Winfrey, and DeMarvin Leal in particular are expected to be there in the 39 to 48 range, but it is hard to see any falling to 71. Kenyon Green, Bernhard Raimann, and Tyler Smith are similar in that they will be in this range, and it will be hard to find anyone near their caliber at pick 71.
On the flip side, potential wide receivers pick 71 include Justyn Ross, Alec Pierce, John Metchie, Khalil Shakir, and David Bell. These names at 71 are much stronger than the offensive line and 3T names.
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Of course, if Hall, Winfrey, and Leal are all gone by 39, the team should move on from the position altogether. Still, the likelihood that they can get the players mentioned combined with the bigger drop at their positions than wideout may make Bears fans panicking into Friday night about the wide receiver situation.