Chicago Bears trade a surprise player in this 2022 mock draft
By Ryan Heckman
Using their first selection at no. 45 overall, the Bears go after that coveted, play-making wide receiver their offense is lacking and draft George Pickens out of Georgia. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver will come in and immediately start opposite Darnell Mooney, giving Justin Fields two excellent, young receiving options on the outside with Byron Pringle in the slot.
Pickens excels in a variety of areas, but he’s especially keen to tracking the football when it’s in the air. His body control and leaping ability is one of the best combinations in this class.
Pickens has had an interesting career, as he was looked at as a possible first-round pick in the 2022 class. However, an ACL tear last spring hurt those chances in a big way. Pickens did come back to play in a couple of games last year, working his way back from injury quickly.
Just spoke w/a GM, who had this to say about @GeorgiaFootball WR George Pickens: "I think he's one of the best receivers in the draft. Reminds me a bit of DeSean Jackson in that when the ball's in the air, he always finds a way to track it. But George is 6-3, pushing 200 pounds."
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 11, 2022
Last year, though, was supposed to be his big breakout year. Georgia uses a lot of guys on offense, but Pickens was one of the key cogs over the last couple of seasons. 2022 was going to be an enormous year for him, though.
Still, the combination of size and speed is there and Pickens proved he was still a valuable, high Day 2 pick over the course of his pre-draft process. Pickens legitimately has the chance to be a number one wide receiver as a pro, and the Bears would feel a whole lot better about their receiving room after snagging the Bulldog.