5 players Chicago Bears could target with Khalil Mack pick

The dust has settled. The Chicago Bears are really moving forward without Khalil Mack.

When general manager Ryan Poles decided to trade Mack, he signaled that a rebuild was imminent. Fortunately, the Bears aren’t in a bad position.

The Bears have one thing that many teams don’t have when entering a rebuild, and that is a young, franchise quarterback like Justin Fields.

Now, it’s all about building around Fields. Poles dealt Mack in order to take some pressure off the salary cap in future and to also obtain some extra draft capital.

What players will be available for the Chicago Bears with the pick they received in the Khalil Mack trade?

In the Mack trade, the Bears received two picks from the Los Angeles Chargers: A second-round pick this year and a sixth-round pick next year. The second rounder this year lands at pick no. 48.

At that spot, the Bears very well could land a starter for years to come. This year’s draft class is one of the deeper classes in recent memory, and all four of the top rounds possess plenty of starting talent.

Chicago’s holes go way beyond just one or two positions now, but everybody is focused on a few key needs. The Bears have to surround Fields with wide receivers to play alongside Darnell Mooney. They also need offensive line help, and one could argue at any position up front.

Defensive line and linebacker are also now areas of need after the Bears released guys like Eddie Goldman and Danny Trevathan. Of course, cornerback remains a hot spot, too.

At that pick no. 48, the Bears will have some attractive options to meet some needs. Let’s take a look at a few select players who could be available at that point in the 2022 NFL Draft.