The Chicago Bears are preparing for an important 2024 NFL draft, where all eyes are on them with the No. 1 and No. 9 picks.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper revealed his latest two-round mock draft, which has the Bears landing a dynamic quarterback-receiver pairing with their two top-10 selections.
In what will come as no surprise, Kiper has Chicago selecting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick. This has been in the cards for awhile, it’s the closest thing to a lock in this draft.
I don’t think we need to spend much time debating the direction the Bears will go here. Justin Fields is gone, and Williams is the clear best quarterback in this class. With Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and Cole Kmet as his top three targets, he’s going to have a chance to hit the ground running in a way that Bryce Young just couldn’t in Carolina last season.
Williams is a supreme talent with top-tier arm strength, accuracy and improvisational skills in and outside the pocket.
Williams is already entering the best situation for a No. 1 rookie quarterback in probably forever — with a slew of weapons, including DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Cole Kmet, along with a potential top-five defense and QB-friendly offensive coordinator.
But if Chicago managed to land Washington wideout Rome Odunze, as Kiper predicts, on top of it all? Look out.
This would be a dream scenario for the Bears, right? They would be adding an elite wideout on a rookie contract to play with Keenan Allen and DJ Moore, and they wouldn’t have to move up from No. 9 to do it. Remember that Allen is a free agent in 2025, so wide receiver is a bigger need for Chicago than it might seem. The 6-foot-3 Odunze was a nightmare for defenses to deal with in college. He had 92 catches last season, 23 of which came on vertical routes, the most in the FBS, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Kiper notes, if the Bears pass on a receiver, to look for them to go edge rusher with UCLA’s Laiatu Latu and Florida State’s Jared Verse still on the board.
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