Bears draft grades roundup: Where's the help for Justin Fields? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
It would be interesting to know how Justin Fields would grade the Bears' draft.
Because the analysts who actually do grade each team following the NFL draft all shared the same sentiment regarding the Bears: the team didn't do enough to help their young quarterback.
That led to Ryan Poles and the Bears receiving mostly mixed reviews for their 11 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft:
No. 39 - Washington CB Kyler Gordon
No. 48 - Penn State S Jaquan Brisker
No. 71 - Tennessee WR Velus Jones Jr.
No. 168 - Southern Utah OT Braxton Jones
No. 174 - Miami (Ohio) Edge Dominique Robinson
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No. 186 - San Diego State OG Zach Thomas
No. 203 - Baylor RB Trestan Ebner
No. 207 - Illinois C Doug Kramer
No. 226 - Southern OG Ja'Tyre Carter
No. 254 - California DB Elijah Hicks
No. 255 - N.C. State P Trenton Gill
Here's the report card for the Bears, and the pleas for more help for Fields, from various draft analysts...
ESPN: B-
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. acknowledged that the Bears landed two potential rookie starters in the secondary with Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker, but he was not thrilled that Poles did not get help for Fields.
"The second-year quarterback is your guy for the long term, right? He doesn't have enough weapons to be even above-average. He has Darnell Mooney and what at wide receiver? Maybe Poles & Co. are going to add a veteran in the street free-agent market, but I don't get it as of now. And the wideout they did add later on Day 2 -- Velus Jones Jr. (71) -- is fast but a little limited. He is one of the oldest prospects in this class; he will turn 25 early in his rookie season."
NFL.com: A-
NFL.com's Chad Reuter was more complimentary of the job that Poles and the Bears did during the draft, highlighting the facts that they added immediate rookie starters in the secondary with their first two picks and filled holes on the offensive line on Day 3 with the selections of Zach Thomas, Braxton Jones and Ja'Tyre Carter.
"The offensive line was addressed on Day 3, with Thomas possessing the nasty streak and mobility to win the swing tackle spot as a rookie. Jones is a solid pass protector with nice length, and Carter is a potential sixth lineman."
The Sporting News: B-
The Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer, also pointing out how the Bears upgraded their secondary but failed to provide Fields with new targets, called the team's draft a "mixed bag."
"Not surprisingly, defense was strong overall with Gordon, Brisker and Robinson providing good impact for the pass defense without a first-rounder. The Bears, however, struggled to get Justin Fields the right much-needed offensive skill position help as Jones was a major speed-based reach. On the brighter side, Jones has potential to start at right tackle."
USA TODAY: C-
USA TODAY's Nate Davis agreed that the Bears did not do enough to help Fields, which could hinder his development.
"The jury should be out for a while on QB Justin Fields, whose arrival in 2021 also came at the expense of this year's first-rounder. But you would've thought rookie GM Ryan Poles would have done more to find players in this draft – specifically weapons and blockers – to accelerate Fields' development. Nope. Make no mistake, second-round DBs Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker are really good players ... but you wonder if that defense will be on the field a lot in 2022 considering the way things have gone for Fields."
Pro Football Focus: B-
PFF was high on the Bears' pick of Jaquan Brisker, but felt the team had more pressing areas of need.
"This is fantastic value for Brisker, and the Bears’ secondary looks promising after this pick along with Kyler Gordon at 39th overall. But again, this doesn’t help Justin Fields, making this a good but not very good or elite pick despite the value. Brisker earned three straight 80.0-plus PFF grades from 2019 to 2021. He recorded a couple of interceptions and four pass breakups en route to an 89.5 coverage grade this season. He is a smart player who has a high floor at the next level."
Sports Illustrated: C
Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr wasn't thrilled that the Bears waited until the third round to finally add either an offensive playmaker or lineman.
"That said, Jones adds some juice to the return game and provides the Bears with an intermediate target who could bolster their YAC ability on short-range screens and quick-timing throws. Brisker may headline the class and is a true Matt Eberflus-type player; he is not going to miss tackles and will be the kind of player pressing the line against Green Bay, bringing AJ Dillon down late in games when everyone else prefers to hide away."
Draft Wire: B-
Draft Wire's Luke Easterling called Dominique Robinson the Bears' biggest steal and Velus Jones Jr. their biggest reach.
"Even without a first-round pick, the Bears got a pair of potential first-round talents for the secondary in CB Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker. The downside? They passed on getting Justin Fields a true No. 1 WR like Georgia’s George Pickens instead. That led them to reach for Jones in the 3rd round, a 25-year-old rookie who is too similar to Darnell Mooney."