3 Draft Picks the Bears Need to Make to Build Around Justin Fields

The Chicago Bears will enter a new era in the 2022 NFL season with Justin Fields as their full-time starting quarterback. Fields has all the potential in the world to be something special, but there's still work that management must do to surround him with the best tools to succeed.

Fortunately, help is on the way in the form of this week's 2022 NFL Draft. Even with the Bears not having their first-round pick, they still have six other selections to work with, with the 39th overall pick in Round 2 being their best.

Here's a look at three draft picks that the Bears need to make to build around Fields.

Chicago Bears NFL Draft

1. Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State

Outside of Darnell Mooney, the Bears don't really have any reliable wide receivers. That could all change if they draft Boise State's Khalil Shakir, who'll likely be a Day 2 pick. Shakir made a name for himself by making highlight-reel catch after catch last season, which is the type of playmaker Chicago needs. On top of that, the 22-year-old finished the campaign with 1,117 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 77 catches over 12 games. With Mooney's speed and Shakir's catching ability, a duo like that could help Fields succeed not only in 2022 but for years to come.

2. Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky

Another of the Bears' offseason goals is to improve the offensive line, which they've been quiet about doing outside of a few moves. Kentucky's Darian Kinnard is another mid-round prospect that could make Fields' life a lot easier. Kinnard was both first-team All-SEC and consensus first-team All-American last season and allowed only one sack on 414 pass-block snaps. That's big for a Bears team that surrendered the most sacks in the NFL last year. Furthermore, Fields also likes to run and Kinnard can help him in that regard after taking home the 2021 Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the SEC's top blocker.

3. Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan

If the Bears don't see Shakir as a fit, Skyy Moore is another talented wideout that they could use to build around Fields. The 21-year-old was dominant at Western Michigan last season, ending the campaign with 95 receptions for 1,292 yards and 10 TDs. While he might not have the biggest frame, Moore isn't afraid to get physical, proven by his FBS-leading 26 broken tackles as a WR last Fall. He's a great route-runner and has the speed to match it, proven by his 4.41-second 40-yard dash. Just like Shakir, the Bears can't go wrong with pairing Moore up with Fields for the foreseeable future.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.