Bears 7-Round Mock Draft Including Major First-Round Trade
With the 2024 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, we forecast a trade that could guarantee two new stars in Chicago. Down the board, a couple of key depth selections could make big differences now and later.
By Zach Elliott
One might remark the weather changing, leaves budding, or primordial cicadas emerging as the first hallmarks of spring. However, for those of us pounding the bar top for our team to take an SEC tackle over a mid-major receiver, the NFL draft is the first bloom of the season.
In honor of that unofficial equinox, it’s time for another Bears mock draft. Little has changed in terms of information regarding where we are certain this year’s crop of prospects are going to be selected on April 25th in Detroit. That said, many players have gone through the gambit of team meetings, so we have a better idea of who might be landing in Chicago.
Once we’re into the later rounds, it’s more wish-casting than forecasting, but as some recent Day Three picks have shown us (Roschon Johnson in 2023, Braxton Jones in 2022) there’s reason to know these guys. As always, we’ve also received a bevy of reports from insiders and beat reporters alike that have left us with discarded tea leaves to read. Let’s dissect.
No. 1 Overall (via Carolina): Caleb Williams, QB USC
Not much navel-gazing required on this one. Trading Justin Fields set the Bears firmly on a collision course with Williams, who will be tasked with overcoming a century’s worth of underwhelming quarterback play.
Outside of vague notions criticizing his character or the color of his nails, there’s not much left to put under the microscope. Caleb is in a tier of prospect unto himself in 2024 and sits just below the generational hype behind the Lawrences, Lucks, and Mannings.
Williams’ “disappointing” 2023 season still featured him finishing with 3.647 yards, 30 TDs, and 5 interceptions. USC had one of the worst defenses in the Power-5 (Power-4?) and Williams is more of a critical lightning rod than QBs of years past, so he shouldered more blame than his game reflected.
He is not without fault. Per Pro Football Focus, Williams’ time to throw was 3.16 seconds, longer than McCarthy, Maye, Daniels, Penix Jr., Nix – essentially every quarterback who might get selected in the first round. That said, your hardest problems as a coaching staff is to fix a monstrously talented player trying too hard to abuse that talent (and still often succeeding? Turn in the card at 9:59.