Chicago Bears 3-Round Mock Draft
A 2022 three-round Chicago Bears mock draft is a bit unconventional. The team doesn’t have a first-round pick (yet again) after trading up for a quarterback (yet again) in 2021. However, the franchise does have three picks in the first three rounds, with a second second-round pick from the Los Angeles Chargers from the Khalil Mack trade.
In this year’s NFL Draft, the Bears need to use these three early-round picks to build around their two superstars on either side of the ball. On offense, the team — and new head coach Matt Eberflus — needs to do everything they can to support second-year signal-caller Just Fields. On defense, it’s all about giving budding star Roquan Smith running mates.
The team will be able to accomplish these goals if they follow the blueprint in this Chicago Bears mock draft.
Round 2, Pick No. 39: George Pickens, WR, Georgia
There will be a lot of high-profile wide receivers who come off the board in Round 1. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton of value at the position in Round 2, though. Georgia wideout George Pickens might not be a household name yet, but he has all the tools to become a legit NFL pass-catcher and Justin Fields’ new favorite target.
Pickens caught 90 balls for 1,347 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in just 24 games for the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound pass-catcher has an incredible catch radius, which is ideal for a QB like Fields, who posted a sub-60% completion rate in 2021.
The NFL.com scouting report on Pickens as a player who “plays with an appetite for the end zone” and catches the ball with his “vice-grip hand strength.” These attributes are exactly what Fields needs in the red zone, making Pickett a great Allen Robinson II replacement and maybe Robinson 2.0.
Round 2, Pick No. 48: Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming
The Bears are switching from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 alignment under new, defensive-minded head coach Matt Eberflus. The team needs to find a new partner for Roquan Smith with this shift. The perfect prospect to fill that role is Wyoming linebacker Chad Muma.
Muma is 6-foot-3, 239-pounds, and excelled in the Mountian West Conference. He is both intelligent and athletic, and he filled up the stat sheet in Laramie. Muma made 266 tackles and recorded 19.0 tackles for a loss in his career. He also had 5.5 sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble. The LB reminds many of his former teammate and third-year Cincinnati Bengals star Logan Wilson.
The Colorado native is aggressive and good in coverage. However, he’ll need to get more disciplined to become a great NFL player. If the storied defensive franchise does take him — like they do in this Chicago Bears mock draft — playing and learning alongside Smith will be a huge help to get him up to speed fast.
Round 3, Pick No. 71: Jamaree Salyer, OL, Georgia
With one small-school pick sandwiched in between, this Chicago Bears mock draft goes back to a player from SEC powerhouse and the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs. Offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer played tackle and guard in college and even manned both spots in the final game vs. Alabama.
The 6-foot-4, 325-pound Georgia native played all five line positions in his college career. In 2021, he had an excellent season, only allowing four pressures all season, according to PFF.
Salyer’s long-term future is as a guard in the NFL. But for a Bears team with an atrocious offensive line in 2021 in front of their franchise QB, having a player who can plug in at any position for a short span will be a huge benefit.
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