Getty The latest mock draft has Ohio State's Nicholas Petit-Frere going to the Chicago Bears.
With six games remaining in the regular season for the Chicago Bears, it’s no surprise some analysts are already looking ahead to 2022.
Mock drafts have begun to pop up, and while the Bears have no picks in the first round next year, they do have pics in the second and third rounds that could give them some solid support for rookie quarterback Justin Fields.
In USA TODAY’s latest mock courtesy of The Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling, the Bears do just that, nabbing one of Fields’ former blockers at Ohio State.
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Bears Mocked Buckeyes OL Nicholas Petit-Frere
Easterling has Chicago landing Ohio State offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere with the 39th overall pick in the second round. A redshirt junior, Petit-Frere was the top recruit in OSU’s 2018 class, He started outflow his freshman and sophomore seasons, but he came on strong in 2020, when he earned an 83.9 pass-blocking grade from PFF, who dubbed him one of the top 10 returning offensive linemen in the country this year.
Petit-Frere has looked solid again in 2021, getting a 78.5 overall grade from PFF after allowing two sacks, two QB hits and 22 hurries in 768 total snaps. The Bears selected Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins in the draft this year, both tackles, but based on the injuries they have accrued on the o-line this season (Jenkins has yet to take a snap), adding depth is never a bad thing. Fields surely wouldn’t mind being reunited with his former teammate, either.
The six-foot-five, 315-pound Petit-Frere is a versatile offensive lineman who has played both right and left tackle with Ohio State, and he would make an intriguing addition to the team’s protection unit.
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What Do the Experts Say About Petit-Frere?
Here’s what draft analyst Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network has to say about Petit-Frere:
Petit-Frere checks almost all of the boxes physically. But what’s more exciting is that he’s not raw by any means. While he still has room for further refinement, a lot of operational building blocks are there — especially with his feet and hands. As a pass blocker, Petit-Frere has fast, controlled feet. It’s very hard for defenders to direct him or steal control in one-on-one reps. Petit-Frere actively adjusts his footwork to gather opponents when engaged, and his strong base allows him to keep his balance more often than not.
When opponents do generate displacement, Petit-Frere proactively uses his length to steer rushers outside the pocket. While Petit-Frere’s footwork is excellent, the Ohio State OT also shows lots of promise with his hands. Petit-Frere has fast and violent initial punches. He can sink his anchors with massive amounts of force. As a run blocker, he carries his momentum into contact. With his explosive extensions and sudden hands, he catches opponents off guard and asserts his dominance.
The OSU lineman moves well:
Haven’t seen him get a lot of attention this year, but #OhioState Nicholas Petit-Frere (@NicholasPetit) has been really good at LT.
Moving well at LT after playing RT in 2020, efficient mover and finisher, and @PFF_College has an 80.5 grade.
And has been solid blocking for the run:
Great job by all up front but Nicholas Petit-Frere does a great job getting to the outside shoulder and turning the DL outside.
The young tackle does have some things he needs to work on, however.
“Most of Petit-Frere’s areas for improvement center around timing, placement, and positioning,” Cummings wrote. “He gives edge rushers too much space at times. This can force him to lunge, and he can be late flipping his hips to track rushers as well. Additionally, the Ohio State OT occasionally has some wasted motion at the start of his reps, and he can choose better attack angles to seal off pass rushers.”
With protecting the young signal-caller Chicago’s top priority, the Bears are likely going to draft more o-linemen next year — and nabbing one of Fields’ former teammates doesn’t seem like a bad place to start.
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