It’s no secret what the Bears will do when they officially go on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25.
Barring an unforeseen red flag, USC star quarterback Caleb Williams will be the new face of the franchise and first overall selection. That was abundantly clear at the NFL league meetings in Orlando as Bears’ decision-makers tried and failed to show their best poker faces.
That the Bears’ brass flew from Orlando to LSU’s pro day and opted not to meet with star quarterback Jayden Daniels tells you everything you need to know about the direction general manager Ryan Poles is heading at No. 1.
But what comes after is much of an unknown.
The Bears currently have just three more picks in the 2024 draft — Nos. 9, 75, and 122 — to patch up the remaining roster holes.
Poles will unlikely be able to address everything, but his best chance is trading down from No. 9 and acquiring more picks. The Bears also have two second-round picks in 2025 to utilize if they want to borrow from future draft capital.
Poles said the strategy for what the Bears do at No. 9 will depend on several factors. During the final lead-up to the draft, the Bears’ scouts and personnel people will split into three teams and debate the merits of drafting a wide receiver, edge rusher, or offensive tackle with their second first-round pick.
As they have done since Poles arrived, the Bears will put all prospects into different value buckets and then see if one of the “blue” players falls to them at nine before making a decision on a trade down. Internally, the Bears would prefer if one of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, or Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt slid to them. If that doesn’t happen, trading down will become more appealing for Poles.
With the calendar officially flipped to April, here’s the latest trade-happy insider mock draft, with the final one slated to arrive during the week of the draft.
Round 1 (No. 1 overall): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Williams has been the pick since the first mock, and there’s zero reason to believe the Bears will go anywhere else at No. 1.
The Bears love Wiliams’ tape and have had two productive meetings with the USC star at the NFL Scouting Combine and during a three-day excursion to Los Angeles for his pro day. It was during that trip to LA that the Bears got an even clearer picture of who Williams is as a person and got to see the ball come out of hand live.
The tape and eye test matched. That was important, but the biggest boxes Williams’ checked came during his dinner with the Bears’ brass and his teammates two days before his pro day.
“When you talk to his teammates, they don’t like him, they love him,” Poles said of Williams at the league meetings. “His leadership, how he brings people together. He’s intentional with his leadership. Same goes with the staff. I’m having a hard time finding a person that doesn’t like him or even love him and thinks that he can reach the highest limits.”
Accuracy, arm talent, vision, improvisational playmaking, touch, feel. You name it, Williams has it.
Over the past two seasons at USC, Williams has thrown 72 touchdown passes and only 10 interceptions. The lack of talent on the 2023 Trojans forced Williams to try to play hero most of the time. The Bears have to be comfortable with Williams putting on the cape and making “no, no, no, yes” plays while also working to harness that unique playmaking ability.
Williams went 12-0 during his career when the Trojans allowed fewer than 34 points. He’s very good within structure, but the lack of protection and poor defense forced him to play outside it for most of 2023. The 2022 film, when Williams had more talent around him, is a better indicator of what the Bears are getting at No. 1.
Even Williams’ worst game as a college quarterback — a three-interception affair in a loss to Notre Dame — was viewed as a positive by…
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