Mel Kiper released his first full 2024 NFL Mock Draft and he has the Bears picking a combination of players that could bolster the passing game for the next decade.
Mel Kiper has been an NFL Draft prognosticator for 40 years and his first mock for the 2024 NFL mock draft season has the Bears selecting their quarterback of the future in Caleb Williams.
- Williams is a better prospect than Fields. We’ve now seen three NFL seasons from Fields, and he hasn’t put everything together on a consistent basis. There are too many unknowns for a guy with 38 career starts. He has completed just 60.2% of his passes while throwing 40 touchdown passes with 30 interceptions and has averaged just 7.0 yards per attempt in his career. Williams, my top-ranked prospect, is ahead of Fields as a passer — the USC product has the skill set and instincts to be a top-tier quarterback at the next level.
- Taking Williams resets the Bears’ quarterback clock, which matters in an age when having a quarterback on a rookie contract means teams can build a better roster around them. If they keep Fields, they’d have to decide on his fifth-year option this spring and then extend his contract within the next year. Are they ready to do that? With a rookie, they’d get four years at a much less expensive cap number before having to pay up.
With Williams on board the Chicago Bears move to bolster their receiving core by adding a number one capable wide receiver with their second pick in this 2024 NFL Mock Draft to be their number two receiver behind DJ Moore.
Romeo Odunze had 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Huskies in 2023. He played out wide and inside — 30 of his catches came from lining up in the slot — and ran every route in the receiving tree. This would be tremendous value for Odunze, who is No. 5 overall on my board. He could be the 1B to DJ Moore, who had a great first season in Chicago. And with Williams throwing them the ball, the Bears’ offense would be extremely dynamic.
This is precisely the type of aggressive 2024 NFL mock Draft the Chicago Bears need to propel their offense into the 21st century. You win championships by throwing the football in the passing game. For the better part of a century the Chicago Bears have been about running the football, playing defense and trying to play mistake free football. This recipe has been a disaster as the Bears haven’t won a playoff game since 2011.
Williams and Odunze give the Bears an immediate upgrade to their passing game. Add in career years from DJ Moore and Cole Kmet and the Bears would have three highly capable weapons to have them immediately compete in 2024.
Keep reading chitysports.com for the most up to date 2024 NFL mock draft coverage.
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