Perfect Picks 2024: Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears’ offseason has been defined by one story only. It finally got put to bed last week when Justin Fields was traded to the Steelers for essentially nothing more than a bag of chips. The positive for GM Ryan Poles is that he can now focus on finding his ‘guy’ at the quarterback spot.
As the Fields drama unfolded, Poles’ work in the shadows went largely unnoticed. However, he has done a terrific job building a roster into which a rookie signal caller can be dropped. That includes the recent addition of experienced receiver Keenan Allen from the Chargers.
It has cost Poles draft capital, meaning he is left with only four selections in the 2024 NFL Draft. It also makes our Perfect Picks slightly tricky, but we will use some artistic license with our ‘late-round’ sleeper. Without further ado, here are our selections for Chicago.
Round 1 - Caleb Williams, QB, USC
The Bears moved on from Justin Fields, and it seemed to rubber-stamp Caleb Williams as the number one selection in this year’s draft. Perhaps Poles would be open-minded to a trade-down for an absolute haul, but it’s unlikely he would want to drop past the top three. Even then, passing up on a talent like Williams is likely an ill-advised move.
The USC quarterback has been one of the most explosive players in college football over the past two years. He followed his head coach and QB whisperer, Lincoln Riley, from Oklahoma to California, and he is set to continue Riley’s streak of developing passers who are selected first overall.
Williams’ ability to play off-script while oozing athletic ability makes him perfect for the modern NFL. He has all the arm talent needed to run an effective game script, but his elusiveness is his calling card. With a supporting cast of DJ Moore and Kennan Allen, Williams could hit the ground running.
Round 1 - Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama
In the early portion of draft season, this selection was seemingly always a wide receiver. However, the more mock drafts I run, the more difficult it is to get one to fall to pick 9. A player like Rome Odunze would be an ideal successor to Allen; however, this roster has one glaring hole. The Bears still need to add depth on the defensive line.
The biggest potential hurdle to the Bears nabbing the top edge rusher in this class is the Atlanta Falcons. They, too, need help at that spot. Should Alabama’s Dallas Turner still be on the board, I expect the Bears to run the pick up. He jumped into the hole left by Will Anderson racking up 10 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss and 2 fumbles forced for the Tide last year. He’s lean but has the speed and bend to give the Bears something different at edge.
Mid Round Gem - DeWayne Carter, DT, Duke
We return to the well here and attack the defensive line with further reinforcements. As things stand, the Bears will line up last year’s second-round selection, Gervon Dexter, with experienced nose tackle Andrew Billings. Behind that pair, there aren’t a whole lot of options, especially at 3-technique. Hence, I have plumped for Duke defensive tackle DeWayne Carter.
Carter’s performance took a step back in 2023, explaining why his standing slipped. He registered only 2 sacks and 17 pressures, compared to 8 sacks and 37 pressures in 2022. His combine display and subsequent RAS score of 8.93 will leave defensive coordinators believing they can squeeze some extra pass-rushing juice out of Carter at the next level.
Late Round Sleeper - Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, WR, Georgia
The Bears’ immediate need for wide receiver depth has been quelled by adding Keenan Allen. Behind him and DJ Moore, Velus Jones and Tyler Scott will hope to boost their snap counts. There remains scope to bolster the group, whether early on or with day 3 picks. A player like Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint offers a bigger-bodied, more physical style receiver.
The Georgia receiver averaged 16.3 yards per catch in the Bulldogs’ offense and displayed some of the traits NFL teams covet despite not being the most productive (only 472 receiving yards in 2023). A similar theme emerged from the combine. Plenty of the testing left a lot to desire. Add to that no 40-yard time, and there are more questions than answers. However, his field drills popped. Jacksaint looked polished, smooth, and imposing throughout his time and is worthy of consideration on Day 3.
Draft in full
Round 1 – Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Round 1 – Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama
Round 3 – DeWayne Carter, DT, Duke
Round 4 – Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, WR, Georgia
