The Chicago Bears will be entering into their Week 13 bye week armed with the #1 and #4 overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

With five games remaining for the Bears, it's continuing to look even more likely that the team will end up with two Top-5 selections in April's draft. 

The Bears will be relying on the Panthers to lock in the #1 selection for Chicago after acquiring their pick prior to the 2023 NFL Draft. With two top selections, the Bears are primed to make some major splashes in the draft in order to continue building the roster.

On Wednesday, Bears fans got a idea of what those two selections could look like with a latest mock draft released by one of the league's top draft analyst. Dane Brugler from The Athletic released his 2024 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 for all 32 picks in the first round.

Brugler had the Bears selecting two new offensive cornerstones with their top two picks, including the team's potential next franchise quarterback, however it might not be the prospects you had in mind.

With the first overall pick, Brugler had the Bears selecting USC quarterback and 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams. Williams threw for 3,633 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns and 5 interceptions while leading USC to a 5-4 during his junior year.

Williams is expected to declare and be one of the most sought after quarterback prospects we've seen in a few years. While many expect Williams to be the potential first overall selection, there are arguments stating that UNC's Drake Maye could be the better prospect and the more NFL-ready quarterback in this year's class.

Even Brugler had Maye ranked above Williams as the top prospect in his Top-50 prospects piece released earlier this month. In this mock scenario, Brugler will have the Bears moving on from quarterback Justin Fields and instead will be handing the reigns off to Williams. Here's what he had to say about the Bears upcoming decision:

Justin Fields will be under a microscope the final month of the season as the Bears consider their quarterback options. One question that will help them make a decision: Is the front office prepared to give Fields an extension with $100-plus million in guarantees? Because that is eventually what it will take. If the answer is no, then Chicago is better off turning the page and reinvesting in the position with a promising rookie on a significantly cheaper deal.

– Dan Brugler, The Athletic

The play of Fields over the Bears final five weeks of the season will ultimately make the decision for the Bears front office. Even so, it'll have to be quite a performance to convince the team to pivot with the first overall pick for the second consecutive season.

Drafting a rookie quarterback in this class seems like the best move for the future interests of the Bears organization. The question just becomes, which of the two quarterbacks do they trust more to run lead the team, Williams or Maye?

With the Bears fourth overall pick, and second selection of the first round, Brugler made a surprising and what should be a controversial decision in having the Bears select Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt. 

Alt seems like a slam dunk prospect on the offensive line if that's an area a team is looking to target early in the 2024 NFL Draft. At 6'8, 322 pounds, Alt is a commanding presence ready to immediately step in and protect the blindside of an NFL quarterback.

However, this selection is another contradiction based on Brugler's Top-50 prospect list where he placed Penn State's Olu Fashanu one spot ahead of Alt. Fashanu received a lot of attention from the Bears scouting department during the first-half of the college football season, including in-person visits from Bears general manager Ryan Poles.

Brugler did note that different NFL scouting department's could be conflicted on the top two offensive line prospects and could give the edge to Alt if given the choice. Here's Brugler's reasoning for the Bears second pick:

When you draft in the top five, the goal is to find an organizational cornerstone that also addresses a pressing need. This class offers a pair of outstanding offensive tackles who are not only blue-chip prospects but would also give Chicago a much-needed upgrade at a key position. A standout pass protector and run blocker, Alt has a massive body with coordinated feet and rare recovery skills, which will have him ready to start as a 21-year-old rookie.

– Dan Brugler, The Athletic

With Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. off the board going to the Arizona Cardinals with the second overall pick, this seems like a logical move on first glance. This would mean that the Bears would acquire two Top-5 offensive tackles in consecutive drafts in order to have two franchise anchors on the offensive line.

However, his rationale for making the selection isn't fully supported and quite frankly, this would be a bad move for the Bears when considering how well 2022 fifth-round pick Braxton Jones has played this season. Jones is 24-years-old and on his second year in the NFL and has proven he's more than capable of being a top starting tackle.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jones is the sixth-highest graded pass blocking tackle in the entire league. The Bears starting left tackle has allowed only one sack and 14 QB pressures with 229 passing blocking snaps in 2023. He's certainly done well enough to earn another shot at securing the job long-term beyond this season.

Personally, drafting a top tackle shouldn’t be one of the Bears top choices. If Harrison Jr. is off the board, the Bears would be better off trading back from the #4 pick and instead selecting one of the top defensive line prospects with that pick.