Windy City Gridiron

● By Jacob Infante
Preparing for the NFL Draft is a yearlong activity, and while the Bears just finished the 2022 draft a few weeks ago, it’s never too early to look towards the future. If anything, this year is as good of a year to prepare for the draft 11 months in advance as any. The Bears are on track to have selections in each of the first three rounds for the first time since 2016, and while the same thing was said before they traded up for Justin Fields in 2020, it’s unlikely the new regime will be moving up significantly in the draft anytime soon. Barring something unforeseen, it appears unlikely the Bears will be in the playoffs at the end of the 2022 season. I used the NFL Mock Draft Database draft simulator for the mock, which has the Bears picking at selections Nos. 8, 40 and 72. While there’s obviously a chance they do either better or worse than their projected selection, I decided to stick with what the simulator had for me.