As NFL team-building philosophies evolve, the importance of first-round picks has diminished for some teams. There are eight clubs in this year’s draft that don’t hold first-round selections going into Day 1.
Clubs without first-round picks tend to get left out of mock drafts like the latest one the NFL Wire network put together. Instead of requiring a two-or-three-round mock to include all the teams, the sites for the Bears, Colts, Browns, 49ers, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins and Rams all got together and threw their own kind of mock draft party.
While it’s nigh impossible to put together a fully-accurate one-round mock, deciphering which players will fall to certain spots on Day 2 is even harder. Our group of editors that weren’t included in the one-round mock took a look at some of the prospects that could fall into Rounds 2 and 3 and identified the dream scenario and pick for their teams.
Round 2, Pick 39, Chicago Bears: WR George Pickens, Georgia
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
The Bears have a slew of needs heading into the 2022 NFL draft, but it’s clear they need to surround quarterback Justin Fields with more weapons. Right now, Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown are their top options. It feels like it’s not a matter of if Chicago drafts a receiver but when in this draft. If George Pickens somehow falls to No. 39, it’s an easy decision for the Bears with their first selection. He’s got the size and playmaking ability, whether that’s as a deep-ball threat or in contested-catch situations. If not for a torn ACL last spring, Pickens would’ve been a first-round lock in this draft, which should make things interesting with how the draft board falls. Pickens would be the perfect complement to Mooney, giving Fields a dynamic duo to work with at receiver for years to come. — Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire
Round 2, Pick 42, Indianapolis Colts: WR Alec Pierce, Cincinnati
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
If you have a first-round pick, you can’t sit with…