The Chicago Bears dropped five spots in these NFL power rankings
After the 2022 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears dropped five spots in Dan Hanzus’ NFL power rankings. For those saying, “but power rankings are pointless and mean literally nothing” — you are right. That said, it’s the offseason and we are always looking for fun ways to talk about and debate about our beloved Chicago Bears. In short, get over it and have fun with them.
The Bears dropped from 25th overall in Hanzus’ power rankings down to 30th. The only two teams below the Bears are the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans. Hanzus obviously questions how Justin Fields is going to thrive in an offense that allowed it’s NO. 1 WR (Allen Robinson) to get away in free agency and then waited until the third round to try and replace him. To be fair, many Chicago Bears fans are asking the same question, but Ryan Poles has a vision and it is only fair to let him see it play out.
Now, I do think that Ryan Poles’ draft was a very solid one. I have given it a B- grade at this point. I have seen other analysts grade it anywhere from a C to an A-. This makes me believe that Hanzus didn’t necessarily hate the Chicago Bears draft. However, I think he preferred some of the lower teams’ drafts and that catapulted them over the Bears in his power rankings.
The Lions for example had a great draft and were gifted the best or maybe second-best prospect (behind Kyle Hamilton) in Aidan Hutchinson. They also walked away with stud WR prospect Jameson Williams. They moved up over the Bears due to these great additions. The Giants also leapfrogged the Chicago Bears in these rankings. They used the Chicago Bears first-rounder from the Justin Fields trade along with their own to snag defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Evan Neal.
The Jets were another team that Hanzus moved up. They shot up from 28 to 24 in his most current NFL power rankings. With multiple Day 1 picks, the team added starting-caliber players in cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and defensive end Jermaine Johnson. The team also added running back Breece Hall to help Zach Wilson develop in year two. On paper, the Jets threw pieces in Wilson’s direction while the Bears took a more cautious approach.