With the 2nd and 3rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select…
Here at A to Z Sports, we conducted a way too early 2024 NFL mock draft at the midseason point of the 2023 NFL season. Disclaimer: This mock draft was held prior to the Chicago Bears 16-13 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 which has since altered the top of the draft board. […]
Here at A to Z Sports, we conducted a way too early 2024 NFL mock draft at the midseason point of the 2023 NFL season.
Disclaimer: This mock draft was held prior to the Chicago Bears 16-13 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 which has since altered the top of the draft board.
With two potentially top three picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears will have their choice to realistically take whoever they want (with the exception of most likely USC's Caleb Williams). The Bears will have one slam dunk prospect worth a top pick but the other selection comes down to the play of two current players on the Bears roster.
With that being said, here's who I had the Bears selecting with the 2nd and 3rd overall selections:
And with the 2nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select…
Drake Maye, Quarterback, North Carolina
"This pick entirely depends on how general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears’ potential new head coach feel about quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears could easily go with an offensive tackle with this pick if they feel that Fields can be the guy long-term. If they don’t feel that way anymore, the Bears can’t afford to pass up on a new quarterback once again with a top selection. Drake Maye has made fair arguments toward being the top quarterback in the class depending on the style of quarterback you’re looking to run your offense. This pick will signal the Bears are willing to change up their offensive philosophy while putting full faith in yet another UNC quarterback."
The Bears first pick in the draft will easily be their most intriguing. If handed the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears will have to choose between taking either a top quarterback or a top offensive tackle. Last year, the Bears choose the tackle after trading out of the number one pick to select Darnell Wright.
The need at right tackle was the largest hole on the roster entering the 2023 draft and Wright has perfectly filled that need. However, looking ahead to 2024, the Bears won't have that glaring need that makes the decision easy. This time, general manager Ryan Poles will have to make some tough decisions.
The decision comes down to two players currently on the Bears roster, and the level of trust Poles has in those players after this season. Over the next 7 games, Justin Fields and left tackle Braxton Jones might as well be playing for their jobs.
However, I see it a different way. Instead of choosing which player earns their job more, I'm looking to see which player offers more value elsewhere. And that answer is easily Fields. The Bears starter is currently in his third season and will soon need a new contract to negotiate, unless the Bears decide to cut ties with him after this season and trade him away for a haul of draft picks to a team such as the Atlanta Falcons.
The Bears decided not to pursue a top quarterback in last year's draft class, and I believe it'll be ill-advised to do so once again. The Bears offense needs to enter into a new era, and Drake Maye is the perfect player to lead the team toward it.
Draft analysts continue to rave more and more about the style of quarterback Maye could become at the next level. While many would point connections between the Bears and former UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky, people need to realize that Maye is miles better as a prospect than Trubisky was entering the draft.
To me, the Bears offensive line is closer to being a solid unit than people realize. With Teven Jenkins and Wright locked in and Jones playing at a high level since returning at left tackle, the unit is only a few pieces away. The Bears have an enormous amount of cap space to spend in order to add those extra pieces around their new young quarterback while resetting the clock at the most expensive position in football.
And with the 3rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select…
Marvin Harrison Jr., Wide Receiver, Ohio State
"The selection really just comes down to taking the best player available and choosing between giving your new quarterback another weapon or added protection up-front. For me, I believe it’s impossible to pass up on a slam dunk prospect like Marvin Harrison Jr. Having Harrison lineup on offense with DJ Moore gives the Bears a dominant one-two punch at the wide receiver position that the Bears have desperately been searching for this season. Harrison is potentially the best overall prospect in the class, regardless of position, and is a true generational talent at the wide receiver position."
After making their first selection in this mock simulation, the Bears established three facts. They believe in Maye has the team's franchise quarterback, they have an definitive trust in the offensive line, and they have newly acquired picks after trading away Fields. With those three facts in mind, the Bears can stay put with their second selection and simply take the best player on the board.
That player is hands down Marvin Harrison Jr. The Buckeyes wide receiver is the best prospect in the class and the most complete wide receiver the league has seen in years entering the draft. The son of the Hall of Fame Colts legend is ready to make his own mark in the league and should being doing so in Chicago.
The Bears will be able to surround their new quarterback with hopefully a stable offensive line and a plethora of talented playmakers. Imagine how this offense will look next season with a new head coach/play-caller drawing up plays for DJ Moore, Harrison Jr., Cole Kmet, Khalil Herbert, and Roschon Johnson including any other additions they make to that side of the ball.
Harrison Jr. has been unbelievable during his time at Ohio State, a program that continues to be a farm for top-end NFL talent at the position, and he might be the best one they've ever produced.
If the board falls in the Bears favor and their second pick in the draft ends up within the top 3-5 selections, this decision should be a no-brainer. He's truly a super star in the making ready to dominate each and every week he's on the field.
The 2023 season has been and will continue to be a tough run for the Bears fanbase, but if this potential 2024 NFL Draft projection doesn't spark any sort of hope for the future, I don't know what will.
2024 NFL Mock Draft: Early projections have offense flying off the board
The A to Z Sports team unveils their way-too-early 2024 NFL mock draft projections for the first round.
