The Chicago Bears are one of the more challenging teams to predict in the upcoming 2022 draft. This is partly because they have a new GM in Ryan Poles who has never conducted one before and has no 1st round pick. It is almost impossible to know which direction they’ll go. However, that hasn’t stopped people from asking around, seeing if people in the NFL might know. Former Bears scout Greg Gabriel did just that.
He came away with some interesting information. Based on what he’s hearing, it might be wise not to place any bets on the Bears drafting any receivers in the early rounds. Or cornerbacks. Or linebackers and safeties. Other executives and scouts around the league seem to think Chicago will focus on the trenches in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. That means investments in the offensive and defensive lines.
In talking to some personnel people around the League, they all feel the Bears are going to take big people early, not skill
— Greg Gabriel (@greggabe) April 16, 2022
That would fall into line with what Poles has hinted at for months.
He admitted openly how unimpressed he was with the offensive line after watching Bears film from last season. Being a former offensive lineman himself, he sees the success of a young quarterback through those eyes. Protection is key. Conversely, head coach Matt Eberflus brings the 4-3 system back to Chicago. That scheme is dependent on the front four defensive linemen being able to generate pressure on the quarterback themselves. It requires a heavy concentration of talent.
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All people have to do is look at what happened in free agency. Poles offered the two longest contracts to defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (3 years) and guard Ryan Bates (4 years). Unfortunately, the team couldn’t close either deal due to different reasons. Yet it still offered clear indications of where they’re focused. They want to control the line of scrimmage first before worrying about the skill positions.
Chicago Bears can’t be faulted for this approach.
Their line play in 2021 was bad. Among the worst in the league, even on the defensive side of the ball. That is a byproduct of how the previous regime handled its drafts. Go back and look at every first pick of every Ryan Pace draft from 2015 to 2021.
- Wide receiver
- Linebacker
- Quarterback
- Linebacker
- Running back
- Tight end
- Quarterback
That tells the story.
Offensive line play during those years was rarely better than average most of the time. The defensive line was better, but that was because Pace was fortunate to have landed Akiem Hicks as a free agent, and he became a star. Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols were solid draft picks, but their windows of high-level play were short. Every time the Chicago Bears reached the playoffs, they were dominated in the trenches.
Poles and Eberflus aim to ensure that doesn’t happen in the future. They want this team to be the aggressors up front. They need players with the right talent and the right mentality to do that. Poles called them “pricks.” Eberflus wanted M&M or “Motor and Mean.” Plenty of draft prospects fit that profile in this class. Names like Tyler Smith (Tulsa OT), Cole Strange (Tennessee-Chattanooga OG), Eyioma Uwazurike (Iowa State DT), and Joshua Paschal (Kentucky DE) are all names to watch.
