In a little more than a month, the Chicago Bears, barring a trade, will be on the clock at the NFL Draft in Detroit, April 25-27.
The Bears found some momentum at the end of this past season, and they hope it will carry into the 2024 campaign.
All eyes will be on that Thursday night as the Bears have two picks in the top 10. Chicago picks at No. 9 but also has the coveted No. 1 selection (via a trade with the Carolina Panthers) after going 7-10 (4th in the NFC North).
Chicago won two of its last three and three of its last five games to end the 2023 season. That momentum, and the promise of the picks, have optimists thinking about the Bears' playoff chances next season.
So, what will the Bears do with the No. 1 pick?
The Justin Fields trade rumors finally ended over the weekend, as the Bears traded the QB to Pittsburgh, it is all but certain the Bears will use the first pick on a quarterback they hope will be the franchise cornerstone for many years.
IllinoisBet.com - your source for Illinois sportsbook promos - wanted to surround the No. 1 picks, analyzing the Bears' position needs and how they have fared in previous drafts.
| Player | Odds | % Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Caleb Williams, QB, USC | -5000 | 98% |
| Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU | +9000 | 1.1% |
| Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina | +20000 | 0.5% |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. WR, Ohio State | +35000 | 0.3% |
| Other | +100000 | 0.1% |
Caleb Williams, the star quarterback from USC, is now the overwhelming favorite to be drafted by the Bears at No. 1.
The Bears, by the way, are sticking with head coach Matt Eberflus (10-24, .294), who has been at the helm since 2022, but made a switch to Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator after the last three seasons as the OC with the Seattle Seahawks.
Quarterback certainly is not the only position the Bears are looking to improve. The Bears have needs pretty much everywhere, According to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, their biggest needs besides QB are wide receiver, EDGE, offensive tackle, interior offensive lineman, defensive line and tight end.
The Bears knew sthat wo positions that stood out are wide receiver and EDGE rusher. Chicago's top player at each position - WR D.J. Moore and EDGE Montez Sweat - are well-regarded but there is a deep drop-off there.
So, the Bears took action. They made a big acquisition at receiver by getting veteran Chargers standout Keenan Allen. They also brought back receiver and return specialist Dante Pettis, who played in Chicago in 2022.
According to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, the positions at which the Bears most need to improve are:
There are suprises at every NFL Draft. Some prospects fall to later rounds than expected, and others get taken earlier than anyone expected. Many teams keep their cards close to their chest, but here is how we think the Bears will draft in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft:
| Pick 1, Round 1 | Caleb Williams, QB, USC |
| Pick 9, Round 1 | Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama |
| Pick 75, Round 3 | Christian Haynes, OL, Tennessee |
The Bears did not have a first-round draft pick in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
They picked Fields at No. 11 in 2021 and last season drafted four-year Tennessee offensive lineman Darnell Wright with the No. 10 overall choice.
This is the first time the Bears have had two picks in the first round since 2003 when they drafted Penn State defensive end Michael Haynes with the No. 14 and picked Florida quarterback Rex Grossman at No. 22.
Grossman started in Super Bowl XLI in 2007 and lost to the Indianapolis Colts, It was Peyton Manning's first title.
The rest of the Bears picks for this year’s NFL draft: No. 75 (third round), No. 110, 122 (fourth round) and No. 142 (fifth round).
Chicago fans are anxiously awaiting to see what they have in mind.
Author
Lou Monaco had been East Coast Scene columnist for Gaming Today in Las Vegas since June 2019, covering the East Coast sportsbook scene with emphasis on NJ and PA. He also currently is a part-time writer for the high school sports department for NJ Advanced Media (NJ.com) in Iselin, NJ. Lou has over 30 years sports experience with previous stints at ESPN SportsTicker, Daily Racing Form and Oddschecker.
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