Do I know better than to grade a draft class after night one?
Sure.
Is that stopping me from pointing out that the Bears are already grading out well before first-year GM Ryan Poles can even make a pick?
Absolutely not.
NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter gave each of the NFL’s 32 teams a grade for Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft. When it came to the the Chicago Bears, the report card came with a pleasant surprise — an “A” grade. And Reuter has good reasoning behind it, too:
The Bears did not have a first-round pick this year because they moved up in the 2021 draft for quarterback Justin Fields. That deal made sense, even though the team’s lack of success last season resulted in the Giants getting a top-10 selection. Fields has a chance to be a very good starting quarterback if new GM Ryan Poles surrounds him with better talent.
The Ryan Pace era was equal mystifying, entertaining, and terrifying at different points on draft weekend over the years. But if Pace’s last act on his way out the door was Justin Fields turning into an honest-to-goodness franchise QB, then it will be the finest parting gift anyone I know has ever been given. Sure, the Giants had the Bears’ first-rounder. And they definitely used it on a solid player, selecting Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal to be an anchor left tackle. But that move came on the same day in which New York did not exercise the fifth-year option on quarterback Daniel Jones. In other words, one year after passing on Fields to potentially be their quarterback of the future, the Giants are jumping into the market in search of a quarterback — as soon as Round 2.
After seeing just one QB go off the boards in Round 1, the Giants will have an opportunity to take a swing on Day 2. But there isn’t a prospect with Fields’ credentials hanging around and waiting for the call.
Now, please, get this man some help:
Please enjoy these highlights of a QB who is better than all the QB prospects in this draft. pic.twitter.com/38mNbLZtpU
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 28, 2022