Draft Expert Sees Two "Perfect" Fits For Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears know the upcoming 2022 NFL draft is essential. With no 1st round pick, GM Ryan Poles faces the difficult challenge of finding good players outside the top 38 slots. With two picks in the 2nd round, though, he does have a favorable opportunity to land a pair of quality talents, provided his evaluations are correct. The big question is who those players will end up being. Fans will have to wait over 24 hours from the start of the draft to find out. Until then, the best thing to do is determine which names might fit the team best. This comes from knowing the new coaching staff's preferences and what Poles has said over the past two months. NFL.com draft expert Chad Reuter thinks he has a good idea of who the Bears would love. He went so far as declare two players he'd consider "perfect" fits for the roster. One of them proved to be a curveball.

"Round 2: No. 39 overall -- Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington Round 2: No. 48 overall -- Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State Chicago does not have a first-round pick as of now because of the team's trade up for Justin Fields in last year's draft. However, the Bears should be able to find a first round-quality player with their initial selection, like Gordon, to quickly improve their secondary. Their second top-fifty selection (received from the Chargers for Khalil Mack) brings a playmaking receiver in Watson, whose height and speed on the outside will be welcomed."

Fascinating. Up until now, most people have agreed that Poles would target an offensive lineman with one of those first two picks. He said from the beginning he wanted to rebuild that area of the offense after it allowed 58 sacks in 2021. So for the Bears to not only bypass o-linemen in the 2nd round but grab a cornerback with their first pick would be a considerable shock. Yet when the said corner is compared to Byron Jones, fans might not hate it too much. Gordon has good size to go along with fluid athleticism and enough speed to hang with most wide receivers down the field. His instincts for the position are apparent, and his ball skills took a big step forward last season with two interceptions and a forced fumble. He doesn't mind tackling either, playing with an aggressive intensity that Matt Eberflus and Alan Williams are sure to love.

Chicago Bears have had their attention on Christian Watson too.

They've already met with him at least twice since the start of the offseason. It isn't hard to see why. The North Dakota State product is a compelling specimen. Not only is he 6'5, but he can with sub-4.4 speed. This makes him a potential matchup nightmare for defenses. His versatility stood out often in college, but the program's run-first philosophy made it difficult for him to blossom fully. So he's more of a projection at this stage. Reuter is correct on one point. Both Gordon and Watson check the box for this new Chicago Bears brass when it comes to speed. Poles and Eberflus each said they want a faster team. Those two can fly. It is whether they can fine-tune their games to match the NFL level. Both have some work to do on their fundamentals.

If they take the necessary steps, they could be stars at the next level.

One can at least say it was an admirable stab. Whether both men are actually available when the Bears pick is another story. Many believe both Gordon and Watson could go in the 1st round a few weeks ago, given their obvious upside. If the Bears do have the opportunity to get either, it may be too good to pass up.