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By not having a first-round selection due to their trade-up for Justin Fields last year, the 2022 NFL Draft did not start until Day 2 for the Chicago Bears. With plenty of holes around this team needing to be addressed by new GM Ryan Poles, this team has a lot of areas that were worthy of draft pick upgrades this year.
The offense, specifically the offensive line and wide receivers, is still the biggest area of need for the Bears, even after the draft wrapped up. As Fields heads into his second year in the NFL, he will be tasked with having Darnell Mooney as this team’s WR1 after Allen Robinson left in the offseason for the Rams.
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Chicago Bears 2022 NFL Draft Grades
Round 2, Pick 39 – Kyler Gordon, CB (Washington)
Grade – C+
With this team’s first selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Bears made a bit of a surprising selection with Washington CB Kyler Gordon. Having shared a defensive backfield with first-round selection Trent McDuffie, Gordon was often overshadowed during the draft evaluation process, but he certainly is a strong candidate to become CHI’s CB2.
Giving this selection a lower grade rests mostly on the fact that CB was not the most pressing need for the Bears. With no first-rounder, they were tasked with utilizing later selections efficiently, and while Gordon will absolutely improve this team, going CB at this point was a bit of a surprise and may come back to bite them.
Round 2, Pick 48 – Jaquan Brisker, S (Penn State)
Grade – B+
With their second second-round selection, the Bears went back and grabbed another new member for their secondary, this time Penn State’s Jaquan Brisker. Brisker looks to be a better prospect than Gordon and he fits a big need as well, so finding his value this far into Day 2 is a solid pick for Poles.
As was the case with the Gordon selection, choosing to disregard the WR position just kept pushing that huge need further down the draft, lessening the chances of them finding an immediate starting candidate. Brisker provides more value from where he was selected, hence the higher grade than Gordon.
Round 3, Pick 71 – Velus Jones Jr., WR (Tennessee)
Grade – C-
Well, the Bears did finally address WR – but it certainly was not the route many expected them to take.
With Jalen Torbert, David Bell, and others still on the board, going with Velus Jones Jr. as the first WR of the third round looks to be a bold selection, especially since he was not necessarily seen as a 3rd rounder. Providing only one strong collegiate season, this selection will be under the microscope big time moving forward.
Round 5, Pick 168 – Braxton Jones, OT (Southern Utah)
Grade – C+
Deciding to address another offensive need, the Bears went and grabbed their first OL of the draft in Braxton Jones. While no real trait stands out the most for Jones, he has moldable skills that will likely turn him into an average starting tackle at best.
Grabbing a projected swing tackle in the fifth round provides the team with depth, but passing on a few defensive line prospects (John Ridgeway, Matthew Butler) may be seen as a miss.
Round 5, Pick 174 – Dominique Robinson, LB (Miami [OH])
Grade – A-
The team’s final fifth-round selection was used on LB Dominique Robinson, and he was a fantastic value at this point. Seen as an explosive edge rusher that is a converted collegiate WR, Robinson can help shore up Chicago’s pass rush.
Round 6, Pick 186 – Zachary Thomas, OT (San Diego State)
Grade – C
Setting a strong base and foot utilization are two strong traits of SDSU’s Zachary Thomas, but the Bears finding their second OL of the 2022 NFL Draft doesn’t do a ton to move the needle. A backup option that could make a spot start or two in his early years, Thomas will need to be brought along but the offensive staff if they see a role for him down the road.
Round 6, Pick 203 – Trestan Ebner, RB (Baylor)
Grade – C+
With Tarik Cohen no longer in the fold, Trestan Ebner may be given a shot to replicate his third-down receiving role. Not known as a runner between the tackles, Ebner’s role seems like it could be small, but excelling on special teams would be an easy way to earn more playing time.
Round 6, Pick 207 – Doug Kramer, C (Illinois)
Grade – B+
Playing for the hometown team is certainly a dream that came to fruition for Doug Kramer, having played just down the road for the Fighting Illini. As the Bears select their first interior OL, Kramer will likely be given a strong shot at seeing a field quite a bit in his rookie season.
Round 7, Pick 226 – J’atyre Carter, G (Southern)
Grade – C
J’atyre Carter will likely become a full-time guard in the NFL due to his frame and size, but his technique needs a bit of work to be a competent one. Selected as the fourth and final OL of the 2022 NFL Draft for the Bears, Carter will need to make some noise in training camp if he wants to end up on the final 53-man roster.
Round 7, Pick 254 – Elijah Hicks, S (California)
Grade – B
While the Bears certainly needed help in their secondary, Elijah Hicks may not see a lot of time right out of the gate. With the fan base clamoring for another pass-catcher to be selected, a player like Hicks may get overlooked, but he has the skills to make a name for himself and make this roster.
Round 7, Pick 255 – Trenton Gill, P (North Carolina State)
Grade – B-
Competing with Ryan Winslow to replace Pat O’Donnell (who left for Green Bay), Trenton Gill was a sensible final selection for the Bears. Needing to find a solid punter and kicker this offseason, Gill is another dart throw for the team to assess during training camp – if he doesn’t work out, no harm really was done by the move.
Overall Grade – C+
The Bears did well to find some value as the board fell, as Dominique Robinson and Doug Kramer both were solid selections at their respective points in the draft. Failing to address WR more often and even earlier will be the most important storyline to follow this offseason, especially if Velus Jones Jr. ends up having a steep learning curve to deal with during his rookie campaign.
