Entering the 2022 season, the Chicago Bears have a number of holes to fill. With second-year quarterback Justin Fields firmly at the controls, newly hired general manager Ryan Poles will look build around the young signal caller in this year’s NFL Draft.
Chicago’s defense should get some love during draft weekend as well. New head coach Matt Eberflus is bringing a brand new defensive scheme to Chicago and there are plenty of positions that need attention on that side of the ball, most notably in the pass rushing department and in the secondary.
Barring a trade, the Bears will enter the 2022 NFL Draft with six selections at their disposal. They’ll be without a first-round pick, having packaged it in a deal to trade up and snag Fields last year. Currently, Chicago has two second-round picks (39 and 48 overall), one third-round pick (71 overall), a pair of fifth-rounders (148 and 150 overall), and they’ll round things out with their final selection in sixth-round (186 overall).
Poles will have his work cut out for him come draft night. The team can go in a number of different directions, and whichever direction they take will say a lot about the Bears’ team building philosophy under Poles.
So without further ado, let’s get into this Bears seven-round mock NFL Draft.
Round 2 (39th overall), WR Skyy Moore, Western Michigan
Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore rose up NFL Draft boards rapidly following his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, posting a 4.41 40-yard dash along with a 125-inch broad jump. Not to mention, he had the largest hand measurements for any receiver participating at the combine, coming in at 10.25 inches.
Moore is one of the most elusive receivers entering this year’s draft. Despite his small stature (5-foot-10, 195 pounds), Moore rarely gets man handled by bigger corners. He utilizes his quickness to break press coverage and once he gets the ball in hands, he’s tough to bring down. Moore broke an FBS-high 26 tackles last year.
During his final year at Western Michigan, Moore put up some outstanding numbers. He finished the year with 94 receptions on 125 targets, accumulating 1,291 receiving yards (13.7 yards per reception) and 10 touchdowns. Though he is a bit small for an NFL wideout, Moore spent time in the slot and on the outside during his collegiate career.
The Bears need receiving weapons, it doesn’t matter what shape or form they come in. Moore is a great receiver to pair with a young quarterback, mostly because he always finds ways to get open, regardless of the coverage thrown at him. Outside of Darnell Mooney, Chicago doesn’t have much to work with at receiver. Moore will provide Fields with another legitimate weapon, either from the slot or on the outside.
Chicago may not be able to get their hands on one of the top-tier receivers in this year’s class, but Moore is an exceptional second-round option that will produce from day one.
Round 2 (48th overall), EDGE Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma
With the loss of Khalil Mack this offseason, and a potential Robert Quinn departure on the horizon, the Bears have a ton of pass rushing production to replace this year. This year’s group of edge rushers is arguably the most talented position group in the entire 2022 NFL Draft class. Most years, a guy like Nik Bonitto would go in the first-round, but given how deep the defensive end group is, he could slide into the Bears’ range in round two.
Bonitto has been one of the most productive pass rushers in all of college football over the past two years. He earned a Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade of 93.6 in 2020, and followed it up with a 92.5 pass-rush grade in 2021. Since 2020, the Oklahoma product has accumulated 16 sacks, 20 quarterback hits, and 65 total hurries. His pass-rush win rate of 29 percent was among the best in college football last season.
Bonitto has elite twitchiness for the defensive end position, making him difficult to matchup with as a tackle. He’s a bit undersized for a three-down edge rusher, coming in at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, but he has the makeup of a designated pass rusher from day one.
Getting to the quarterback is the name of the game in today’s NFL. Having a complete three-down edge player is great, but sack production reigns supreme at the end of the day. Bonitto provides that in spades.
Bonitto may not be able to completely fill the shoes of Mack or Quinn from day one, but he has tremendous upside as a pass rusher and could be a pivotal piece to Eberflus’ defense, even during his rookie year.
Round 3 (71st overall), S Kerby Joseph, Illinois
While the Bears already have Eddie Jackson penciled in as one of their starting safeties, the other side of the field is a bit of an unknown. The team acquired Dane Cruikshank during the free agency period, but he’s more of a depth piece than anything else. Illinois’ Kerby Joseph could potentially start from day one in Chicago, despite being a third-round pick in this mock.
Standing at 6-foot, Joseph’s wingspan measures out at 6-foot-8, which helped him intercept five passes during the 2021 season. He’s a true ball hawk at the safety position and is NFL-ready from a coverage standpoint. In 2021, Joseph posted a PFF coverage grade of 90.6, while finishing the year with an overall grade of 90.4. He recorded a forced incompletion rate of 21.1 percent when targeted.
Joseph lined up all over the field for Illinois last season, logging reps as a deep safety, box safety, and in the slot. His most productive role was as a deep safety, where he was able to scan the field, read the quarterback’s eyes, and break on the football.
The biggest concern regarding Joseph is the limited amount of playing time he saw during his four-year career at Illinois. He didn’t become a full-time starter until his final year, but he certainly made the most of it. He’s also not the best tackling safety, though he has proven to be a willing tackler. Joseph missed a total of six tackles last season while posting a missed tackle rate of 9.5 percent. Those aren’t ideal numbers, but Joseph makes up for it in coverage.
Although Joseph is not a finished product, the Bears won’t need him to be during his rookie season. They’re in the middle of a rebuild. With a year or two of development, Joseph should be a fine starting safety once the Bears are finally ready to compete.
Round 5 (148th overall), T/C Zach Tom, Wake Forest
The Bears need help at nearly every position along their offensive line, which is why Wake Forest’s Zach Tom could make a lot of sense for them. He primarily played left tackle in 2020 and 2021, but he spent his entire 2019 season at center.
Tom’s run blocking leaves a little to be desired. He’s not exactly a road grader and he doesn’t have the length and width that you’d expect from an offensive tackle. But, he’s one of the best pass blockers entering this year’s draft. In 2021, Tom posted a PFF pass blocking grade of 92.1 and a true set pass blocking grade of 88.5. On 633 pass blocking reps, Tom allowed just three sacks, two quarterback hits, and eight hurries.
Whether Chicago opts to draft Tom as a tackle or an interior lineman, his versatility could help plug any of the holes along the Bears offensive line. According to PFF, Chicago doesn’t have a single offensive lineman who ranks higher than 30th at their respective position. When the level of play is that low, anything helps. Adding some stout versatility to a struggling offensive line group would be a step in the right direction for the Bears in the NFL Draft.
Round 5 (150th overall), CB Cordale Flott, LSU
Although Thomas Graham Jr. showed some serious promise last year as a rookie corner, the Bears still need another starter or two at the position. Insert LSU’s Cordale Flott, one of the best nickel corners in the country last season.
Standing at 6-foot-1, 165 pounds, Flott could use an extra 10-15 pounds. Nevertheless, he projects as a slot corner at the next level and he’s proven to be efficient in that role throughout his collegiate career. In 2021, Flott allowed a completion percentage of 51.1 percent and a passer rating of 73.3 when targeted. He surrendered 249 receiving yards in coverage and gave up two touchdowns, while snagging one interception. His PFF coverage grade of 84.8 was among the best in college football last season.
Flott steadily improved as the 2021 season went on and became a pivotal piece to LSU’s defense. He spent a lot of time in the slot, but once injuries started to pile up, he was forced to play on the outside and he did fine job there as well. He’s an ascending player who’s only going to get better.
Flott may not find the field much during his rookie season, but as he continues to develop his game, he could crack the starting lineup by the end of the year. He’s a gamble that the Bears should look to take in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Round 6 (186th overall), T Cordell Volson, North Dakota State
Versatile offensive lineman are invaluable, so adding two for the Bears in this mock just made sense. Like Tom, Cordell Volson has spent time at multiple positions along the offensive line during his collegiate career. He primarily played right tackle throughout his career, but he’s logged snaps at right guard and left tackle.
Volson posted some impressive numbers during his final year at North Dakota State. He posted a PFF overall grade of 89.3 and didn’t allow a single sack in 2021. On the year, he surrendered just one quarterback hit and five hurries. In the run game, Volson is equally as proficient, recording a zone blocking grade of 91.1 last year.
Simply put, Volson is a nasty blocker. He continue his blocks until the whistle is blown and he always seems to want to finish the play with a pancake. He will need some time to develop into a starter at the next level, given the fact that he played at an FCS school. Nevertheless, Volson has all the tools to be a solid starter at the next level.
