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Chicago Bears 2022 mock draft: Ryan Poles rebuilds and redefines the culture

By Sravan Gannavarapu

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 10: Jamaree Salyer #69 of the Georgia Bulldogs holds the National Championship trophy after the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 10: Jamaree Salyer #69 of the Georgia Bulldogs holds the National Championship trophy after the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Chicago Bears mock draft: Christopher Allen #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs out of the team tunnel during halftime of the College Football Playoff National Championship football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 52-24. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

TRADE: Chicago sends their 2022 seventh-round pick from Cleveland to the Kansas City Chiefs for two 2022 seventh-round picks. 

10. Seventh Round via trade with KC with the pick acquired from CLE: Christopher Allen, DE, Alabama

Thanks to the trade with KC, Chicago turns one pick into two. Here, they get another pass rusher who is vastly underestimated despite playing at a big-name school. Matt Eberflus likes pressure from his pass rushers and needs as many as he can get, and Alabama’s Christopher Allen fits the bill.

Though he played at the best factory in college football, he was often lost behind other great players. Still, it’s not like he’s going too high in the draft. He’s in the perfect spot to be drafted and could work his way up the chart quicker than before. However, he is a project player and will likely be a special teamer. That’s often what the seventh round is for, fliers on players who have value.

Allen won’t compete for a starting gig right away, but he can be of service if used in the right situation. In this league, where the pass is the way to go, pass rushers are a premium, regardless of where they come from and how they are acquired.

11. Seventh Round via trade with KC: Jalen Green, CB, Mississippi State

Chicago completes an 11-man draft class with their last pick by opting for speed and instincts. How can you find those in the seventh round? Well, if I’m Ryan Poles, I certainly do that. Also, given that Thomas Graham Jr and Jaylon Johnson are the top two corners, it would be wise to add someone in the draft to help them, and some speed wouldn’t hurt with it.

That’s why Jalen Green of Mississippi State makes sense, although it comes at the very end. The casual fan largely ignores the lower portion of the draft, but remember that former Saints wide receiver Marques Colston went late in the seventh round and became a star. Plus, Chicago is known for finding defensive gems in the later portions of the draft.

Next. Chicago Bears hiring Ryan Poles is a good start, but more work to do. dark

Though Ryan Pace is gone, he would approve of this pick, and frankly, his late-round gems have been pretty good. Now Ryan Poles gets his gem. Green is a feisty corner with good speed and good ball anticipation. At this point in the draft, he is worth the flier. Two picks last season are not bad. Expect him to be a special teamer right off the bat, or at least on the practice squad, and be elevated sooner than later.

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