With the 2024 NFL Draft just over a month away, the Chicago Bears have made numerous roster moves to put them in position for an exceptional 2024 campaign.
As they have all off-season, the Chicago Bears hold the first overall pick with only one route the team should even entertain with that pick. Outside of that pick, the Bears only have three other selections in the 2024 NFL Draft, including the ninth overall selection.
Round 1 (no. 1 overall) via Carolina: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
There is only one way the Bears can use this first overall selection and it’s by drafting the best quarterback prospect we’ve seen since former Indianapolis Colt Andrew Luck in 2012.
The Bears trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers finally ends the debate between Caleb Williams and Justin Fields.
It has been reported that the Bears have loved Williams’ tape and came out of the first meeting at the combine super excited with Williams. The Bears wanted to bring Caleb Williams into Halas Hall the Tuesday after the combine, but Williams’ team said they’ll start the top-30 visits following USC’s pro day.
The Bears plan to bring a massive contingent to Los Angeles for the USC pro day to get one final look at Williams before they bring him into Lake Forest for his top-30 visit soon after the Bears return from southern California.
Williams seems to possess everything you want in a quarterback, arm talent, the ability to be improvisational, and vision. If you can name it, Caleb likely possesses it.
In 2022, Williams walked away with the Heisman Trophy following an electric sophomore season with the Trojans, but due to a lack of talent on the 2023 USC roster, Williams was left to play hero ball and put the team on his back. Mixing that with a below-average defense put the Trojans in a lackluster position.
After his three years in college, between Oklahoma and USC, Williams threw for 10,082 yards, 93 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, while completing 66.9% of his passes.
Williams will be heading into a Chicago Bears offense that includes D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift, Cole Kmet, and Gerald Everett. Creating a mold for success in the Windy City and a franchise striving for its first franchise quarterback.
NFL Comparison: Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (with a mix of Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray).
Round 1 (no. 9 overall): Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
The Bears already made a massive addition at wide receiver, acquiring Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers. If Nabers is available at pick nine, I would be shocked if the Bears pass up on the opportunity to add a third playmaker at the position.
Nabers, the 2023 Biletnikoff Award runner-up, is among the top three wide receivers in the 2024 class. While Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is the consensus top wide receiver in this class, Washington’s Rome Odunze and LSU’s Malik Nabers are up for debate to be the second receiver taken off the board in April.
As a junior, Nabers finished the season with 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns, doubling his totals from his freshman and sophomore seasons.
While this isn’t the most important pick in the draft, continuing to add to an offense that has seen drastic improvement is important.
NFL comparison: Chicago Bears WR D.J. Moore.
Round 3 (no. 75 overall): Maason Smith, DT, LSU
Smith saw a massive drop in his draft stock since the end of the 2022 season. Allowing teams to get great value in the third round. Smith only played in one game during his sophomore year in 2022, due to an injury he suffered.
Smith is a traits-based prospect who has an exciting ceiling but will enter the NFL with a concerning lack of experience and consistency at the college level. Maason Smith plays tall and lacks the ability to anchor with his hand usage being subpar compared to other defensive tackles in this class.
Smith’s measurables and playing style have him best suited to play as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme but could fit into a 4-3 scheme like the Bears.
Smith will have an opportunity to better utilize his length at the point of attack. Smith has shown flashes as a pass rusher and blends footwork and victories to the edge, which you can expect to continue progressing as he gets experience in the NFL. Smith has shown to have traits of an early-round player but has only shown mid-to-late-round tape in his three years at LSU.
In 2023, Smith finished with 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
NFL comparison: Atlanta Falcons DL Calais Campbell.
Round 4 (no. 122 overall) via Philadelphia: Zak Zinter, IOL, Michigan
Zinter is entering the NFL coming off a broken leg late into Michigan’s season. The injury will likely be healed with Zinter ready to go before training camp.
Zinter will enter the league with the prototypical size, toughness, and technique that these front offices want to see in the guys they draft.
While Zinter is an average athlete in short spaces, he is capable of climbing to the second level with good angles and making hits on short pulls. Zinter is rarely beaten, he can still be stood up by two-gapping pluggers.
His pass protection will be average by NFL standards, but will likely progress as he gets experience against NFL-level pass-rushers.
There is a chance that Zinter’s draft stock does get affected by the recovery from his broken leg, but the tape shows that he can be a starter in the NFL.
NFL comparison: Detroit Lions IOL Graham Glasgow.
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