Bears Mock Draft Monday: Chicago makes an aggressive move to kick off the draft
The 2024 NFL Draft is quickly approaching and the Chicago Bears are still the team with all the buzz by being in possession of the first overall pick. The Bears are also in current possession of the ninth overall pick in April's draft but what if general manager Ryan Poles decides to be really aggressive? […]
The 2024 NFL Draft is quickly approaching and the Chicago Bears are still the team with all the buzz by being in possession of the first overall pick.
The Bears are also in current possession of the ninth overall pick in April's draft but what if general manager Ryan Poles decides to be really aggressive? In this mock, let's explore that scenario.
In the 2023 NFL Draft the Houston Texans made an aggressive move by trading up to the third overall pick after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second. The move paid dividends with both players winning rookie of the year and the Texans reaching the divisional round. Could the Bears follow a similar path in the draft?
For this mock, I have the Bears trading up from the ninth overall pick to the third overall pick with the New England Patriots, trading away the ninth pick, a 2025 first round pick and the Carolina Panthers 2025 second round pick. I will also have the Bears making a prior trade sending quarterback Justin Fields to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2024 and 2025 second round picks.
With these trades established, let's get started with the mock draft.
1st Overall Pick: QB Caleb Williams
This seems to be the inevitable outcome to kick off the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bears are reportedly "likely" to select Caleb Williams with the top pick and are beginning to dive into the in-depth research on him as a prospect, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The NFL Network insider also mentioned it would take a historic trade haul to move out of the top pick in the draft. The writing is all over the wall.
Williams is seemingly the Bears preferred option to become the franchise's next quarterback and the Bears finally cash in on a top prospect at the position. The next order of business will be surrounding him with top tier talent.
3rd Overall Pick (via NE): WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
What a better way to kick of the draft than by landing the top quarterback prospect and the top overall prospect within the first three selections of opening night. This would be quite the jump for the Bears to make to go from nine to three but with the Patriots reportedly in interested in fielding offers to move down it could work out.
The Bears trade up would land Chicago with the top wide receiver in the class and one of the most coveted pass catching prospects in recent memory in Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. The Bears were linked to Harrison early in the process but the talks died down after the team ended up with the ninth overall pick.
If Poles is truly star-struck by the thought of pairing Harrison with wide receiver DJ Moore, the investment could be worth it to surround Williams with the best supporting cast possible. The Patriots meanwhile can still land a quarterback prospect of their own in J.J. McCarthy but could swing Fields into the trade return if they want.
43rd Overall Pick (via ATL): S Javon Bullard
For the sake of this mock, we have the Bears dealing away Fields before calling up the phones in New England. The Bears are currently without a second round selection after trading their own to acquire defensive end Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders. However, moving Fields to the Atlanta Falcons could up their arsenal this year and gives added insurance next year to make the deal with the Patriots.
Overall, the Bears add the Falcons 43rd overall pick and still end up with two picks in the second round next year. With the 43rd overall pick, the Bears can look to draft a top safety prospect to replace veteran Eddie Jackson who could be on his way out of Chicago as a cap casualty.
Before, I've toyed with the idea of adding Miami safety Kamren Kinchens with this pick but Georgia's Javon Bullard is another top option. Bullard recorded two interceptions and five pass deflections for the Bulldogs' defense in 2023 and could join the Bears high-flying young secondary.
75th Overall Pick: WR Brenden Rice
Operation build around Caleb Williams isn't over after adding Harrison on the offense. While offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's offense in 2023 with the Seattle Seahawks shied away from three wide receiver sets, he might be forced to adapt his scheme in Chicago in this mock scenario.
The only notable wide receivers currently under contract with the Bears outside of Moore are Tyler Scott and Velus Jones Jr. The addition of Harrison is a big swing but the pick is not enough to fully round out the position.
This is where Brenden Rice comes in. The Bears can add Williams' former teammate who impressed at the 2024 Senior Bowl after Poles and multiple front office executives got a good look at him in person. Rice had 45 receptions for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns with Williams as his quarterback in 2023. Could the Bears add the son of two Pro Football Hall of Famers?
4th-Round Pick: C Sedrick Van Pran
The Bears can look to add a center in free agency with multiple top names available on the open market or could look to upgrade the position through the draft. If the Bears miss out on some of the big names at the position in the early rounds, they can still find an immediate starter later on in Georgia's Sedrick Van Pran.
Van Pran was a dominant pass protecter for the Bulldog's during his career at Georgia against some of the top defensive pass rushers in the SEC. According to Pro Football Focus, Van Pran allowed 0 sacks and only 12 pressures during the 2023 season.
4th-Round Pick (via PHI): IDL Tyler Davis
The interior of the Bears defensive line is already filled with young talent in Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens along with having Andrew Billings locked up on an extension. However, with Justin Jones set to depart in free agency, the Bears can add another player to the rotation in the middle rounds of the draft.
Clemson's Tyler Davis is one of the names the Bears could have their eye on to replace Jones in the rotation. In 2023, Davis recorded only 0.5 sack and 3.5 tackles for a loss, the lack of production could push him down the board come April's draft. He's the exact type of player who will fit well into defensive coordinator Eric Washington's unit up-front while further developing thanks to a limited snap count.
5th-Round Pick: CB Dwight McGlothern
I am always a big fan of adding a cornerback in the draft no matter how the position looks going into the draft. The position is one of the most critical positions in the game and it's always ideal to have a solid stable of play-makers.
The Bears already have Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, and Terell Smith under contract with Jaylon Johnson more than likely returning as well in 2024. However, given Johnson's uncertain long-term future, targeting this position makes even more sense for the Bears in the draft.
A potential late round option to keep an eye on is Arkansas' Dwight McGlothern. McGlothern recently competed at the East-West Shrine Bowl with multiple members of the Bears staff coaching the young prospects. McGlothern ended his 2023 season with three interceptions and six pass deflections.
