Draft expert points out the one NFL team that could ruin the Bears' first round draft plans
The Chicago Bears are less than a month away from the 2024 NFL Draft and are still largely in control of the opening night with the first and ninth overall selections. Caleb Williams at this point should be considered a lock to be selected by the Bears with the first overall pick, which puts all […]
The Chicago Bears are less than a month away from the 2024 NFL Draft and are still largely in control of the opening night with the first and ninth overall selections.
Caleb Williams at this point should be considered a lock to be selected by the Bears with the first overall pick, which puts all of the eyes on the Bears' second pick in the Top-10 among people in Chicago.
Bears' general manager Ryan Poles has already referenced what positions he hopes to target with his second pick, but one team might be able to screw up his draft plans following the latest bombshell that occurred in the NFL earlier this week.
The Buffalo Bills' decision to trade wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans now puts the Bills on the radar to potentially draft a wide receiver in the first round to replace the All-Pro. However, being armed with the 28th overall pick in the draft, Bills' general manager Brandon Beane would have to make some more moves before then.
That's exactly what NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper proposed Beane and the Bills should do ahead of April's draft by suggesting a move that could impact the Bears in a huge way.
"If [Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze is] around at seven [or] eight and he's sitting there, maybe, getting down to nine for Chicago – that's where you got to jump ahead of the Bears," Kiper said on the latest episode of the God Bless Football podcast. "That's where you probably gotta get to, similar like to say Atlanta did with Julio Jones. If Buffalo feels that Odunze is that good, you go up and try to get him."
Sitting at the ninth pick, the Bears are considering the possibility that one of the three top wide receivers in the class will be available the next time they are on the clock. Of the three, the Bears have done the most homework on Odunze, who would be the perfect player to line up alongside DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.
Outside of the top three, Kiper went on to explain how there is a drop in the next tier of wide receivers who could land in the first round, despite the position being relatively deep this year. By having only four selections, and no picks between Nos. 9 and 75, the Bears should be hoping they can land one of these three at nine.
"It is, it really is," Kiper said regarding the drop in the positional rankings. "In terms of the gap – there is a gap. You have Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze, let's go Nabers for the sake of argument, then Rome. Then a gap, down to either Brian Thomas Jr. from LSU, Xavier Worthy of Texas, Adonai Mitchell from Texas, Xavier Legette, South Carolina… I think there is that gap."
However, the recent trade by the Bills could put some competition in the Top-10 to land one of the three, if the Bills are willing to make such an aggressive move on the first day of the draft to replace Diggs.
"So, there is a reason to say 'I gotta get one of those big three,' and that would be, if he drops like I say, into that 6-7-8 range before Chicago at nine picks, it would be the reason to maybe move up and get Rome Odunze from Washington," Kiper added.
If the Bears are hoping to land another top receiver to the offense around Williams, the front office will have to hope that the Bills don’t move up too high if they’re even willing to do so. Even if they do, the Bears have two other positions on their radar with the pick that the front office could easily pivot toward addressing in the first round.
Latest draft trends could set the Bears up perfectly with the No. 9 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft
Things are looking good for Chicago.
