Receiver Draft Help Can Be Costly

Mock draft do-over after Khalil Mack trade lands Justin Fields the receiver he knows well but will come at a high personnel price.

Free agency has brought the Bears a little more in terms of receiver numbers for the 2022 roster.

It hasn't necessarily brought them great quality.

Going into the 2022 draft then, the goal must be to find at least one high-quality receiver for Justin Fields.

Equanimeous St. Brown had only nine catches last year for Green Bay and their other free agent receiver acquisition, Byron Pringle, has one good season made possible by six solid games at season's end.

These are not proven producers by any means.

The Bears need another elite complementary talent to Darnell Mooney, a top target for  Justin Fields. They might even two of these players.

The only way to be sure of elite receiver talent in the draft is to take them in the first two rounds, especially Round 1. Darnell Mooney (61 catches) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (90 catches) are the only receivers taken after Round 2 since 2018 to make 60 rookie receptions.

So taking receivers early is critical

That said, the one talented receiver who makes the most sense for Fields is former teammate at Ohio State Chris Olave. He's not projected to go too early in Round 1 and might be available if the Bears moved up to take him.

To illustrate what all of this could mean, this became the central theme in BearDigest Mock Draft 2.0 B. It's 2.0 B because the original 2.0 has been wiped out by the Khalil Mack trade, as well as Larry Ogunjobi's failure to pass a physical.

Now, besides knowing the exact draft order because compensatory picks have been awarded, there is an extra Round 2 Bears pick at No. 48, and some ability to move up if the team tries.

It seems more likely GM Ryan Poles would want to move back and collect more picks as he continues to try to build the base level of the roster, but that might not necessarily be the case at receiver because of how difficult it is to find immediate impact players after Round 2.

There is a problem with the Bears moving up to try to draft Olave. It's a problem the Bears always seem to have—the Green Bay Packers.

Now armed with extra picks from the Davante Adams trade, Green Bay could be looking at Olave with the 22nd pick in Round 1.

Keep this in mind as we clear the board and do mock No. 2 all over with the right picks this time.

First Round, No. 21

WR Chris Olave, Ohio State

The 6-foot, 189-pound smooth route runner managed to run fast as well at the combine. So how did the Bears wind up with him at No. 21 in Round 1 when they don't have a first-round pick? The mock draft simulator used from NFL Draft Bible wouldn't accept a trade with the Patriots to No. 21 by the Bears using pick No. 48 in Round 2 and No. 71 in Round 3. The Patriots did accept a trade of No. 39 and No. 71 and it was easy to pilfer Olave then right out from under the noses of the rival Packers, who badly need quality receiver help. Doing this still left the Bears with one Round 2 pick at No. 48 after Olave, but no third- or fourth-rounder. To plug that gap, I traded with Tampa Bay and sent pick No. 48 to the Buccaneers for their second-round pick, No. 60 overall, as well as their third-round pick at No. 91. So even though the picks are later, the Bears still have draft picks both in Round 2 and Round 3 after also getting Olave. This still doesn't solve every problem.

Second Round, No 60

DE Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina

Waiting to No. 60 to get a much-needed cornerback won't work. At least in this mock it wouldn't. No one with a grade higher than late third round was available. They could use a three technique since the player they sought failed his physical. Instead, it's entirely possible they would trade Robert Quinn on draft day if not before. They will need an other edge rusher regardless of whether they do this. Enagbare would fit the need, as one of the most consistent pass rushers in the draft. At 6-4, 287, he ran a 4.87 40 at the combine and had 15 sacks to go with 24 tackles for loss.

Third Round, No. 91

T Kellen Diesch, Arizona St.

The trade to get extra picks wasn't enough to supply a third-round pick early enough to take a cornerback. No talent equivalency at cornerback here so the Bears are still looking to upgrade the offensive line. In this mock, the talent grade for Diesch is late second round so it's a bit of a steal getting a 6-7, 300-pounder who is not a stagnant, overweight blocker but someone who can handle edge rushers while also move and block the wide zone. Pro Football Focus charts him with only one game when he allowed more than one QB pressure last year.

Fifth Round, No. 148

G Zach Tom, Wake Forest

Finally it appeared a cornerback would be available. Zyon McCollum of Sam Houston State, who is a freakish 6-4 for a cornerback, looked like he would be available here. Then the New York Giants took him at 147.

The Bears still have a hole at guard and Tom would be an ideal choice here, a 6-5, 295-pounder who is exactly the opposite of some of their past linemen. They're not going for the overweight guys now in a wide zone scheme. PFF calls Tom possibly the most athletic interior offensive lineman in the draft.

Fifth Round, No. 150

LB DeMarco Jackson, Appalachian State

Without a cornerback worth taking again, the next-best position would be another receiver. At this point, that supply is also exhausted but there is one player with a much higher grade in Appalachian State's linebacker. The Bears need speed at linebacker and in the secondary and Jackson has it. The 6-3, 233-pounder ran only .04 behind what Roquan Smith did in the 40. It is a 4-3 and the Bears acquired Nick Morrow to play linebacker. They can use another one with that kind of speed.

Sixth Round, No. 185

S J.T. Woods, Baylor

The penalty paid for moving up to draft Olave is giving away prime position for cornerbacks or other receivers. They have to go through the whole draft without a cornerback, a real disaster. However, they do need another safety badly and Woods was available here. The 6-2, 193-pounder who made eight college interceptions and four fumble recoveries also had 157 tackles.

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