Windy City Gridiron
The 2024 NFL draft is just 10 days away. While many can safely assume what the Chicago Bears will do with the No. 1 overall pick, the intrigue eight selections later will headline many talking points around the city leading up to next Thursday night. With plenty of options ahead, we dive into each one here.
We’re under two weeks until the 2024 NFL Draft kicks off in Detroit, and the Chicago Bears are slated to be on the clock two times within the first ten selections on the opening night festivities. At this point, the entire NFL world has a good idea of where Chicago is leaning with the top selection. Barring a surprise, it’s expected to be USC quarterback Caleb Williams. At one point, there was plenty of speculation about what the Bears would do with the pick, but after trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the glowing reviews both general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have given the star USC quarterback, there’s not much mystery left in the top pick.
Despite the excitement surrounding the many directions Poles could go in the first round, the team has just four selections. All of which are within the Top 122 picks. Chicago could stand tall at No. 9 and reap the rewards of a quarterback-heavy draft. They could also opt for a trade down, which would net them additional draft capital in Days 2 and 3. Whatever decision this organization decides to make, the talent they’ll come away with on Night 1 will be one to remember. For a deeper dive into the Bears’ choices ahead, let’s dissection the plethora of options they’ll be facing when they’re on the clock at No. 9 overall.
Bucket 1: Stick and Pick
Anyone pretending to know what the Bears will do at No. 9 is simply pulling your leg. There are far too many obstacles in front of them that need to play out before the picture becomes clear. As of now, every plugged in NFL and NFL Draft insider has four quarterbacks going before Chicago’s second first-round selection. For those of you who are rooting for Chicago to stay and make a selection in the spot, this is your most ideal situation.
In the scenario where four quarterbacks go before the Bears’ selection, we would need to account for just four more selections. Of those teams picking ahead of the Bears, one of the Arizona Cardinals or Los Angeles Chargers seem most likely to either:
A. Trade down with a quarterback-needy team.
B. Stand pat and select the top receiver on the board.
While it’s never best to make any sort of draft guarantees, it feels likely that quarterbacks will go 1-2-3 and one of these two teams will take a receiver and the other will trade down with a team that will ultimately select a quarterback. In that scenario, there would be just three picks remaining before the Bears are back on the clock. For...
