Way-too-early Chicago Bears 2024 NFL Draft preview

The 2024 NFL Draft is April 25-27 in Detroit. Here is the first-round order, per Tankathon.

The 2024 NFL Draft is shaping up to be easily the most important in recent memory for the Chicago Bears. Equipped with two top-10 picks this April, they’re in the enviable position to select not one but two franchise-altering players.

2023 record: 7-10 | First-round pick: No. 1 and No. 9 | Team needs: QB, WR, Edge

Potential first-round picks: Caleb Williams, QB, USC; Drake Maye, QB, UNC; Jayden Daniels, LSU

If the Bears stay at No. 1, they’ll likely take a quarterback. The only question is which one? Williams is, and has been, the consensus No. 1 pick, and for good reason, but there’s a case for Daniels and Maye.

Williams’ was a human highlight reel at USC. He proved capable of making every throw, showing poise inside the pocket and instinctual playmaking skills that should translate beautifully at the NFL level. Behind a leaky line, he still earned a 90.3 grade (9th), per Pro Football Focus.

Meanwhile, Daniels continues to climb the draft board. Although inconsistent at times, he’s showcased absurd athleticism and a dynamic deep ball that could make him an elite weapon for a quarterback-needy team. Per PFF, he was the only QB to grade above 90 in offense, passing and rushing.

Finally, Maye might be the longest shot, as his draft stock has recently fallen after he was once considered the best prospect behind Williams. However, he has natural athleticism, an elite pocket presence, and arm skills on par with a franchise quarterback.

Potential first-round picks: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama; Jared Verse, EDGE, FSU; Malik Nabers, WR, LSU,

With the Bears’ second pick in the first round, they could go a variety of directions depending on how the picks ahead of them shake out. If the top end of the first round features a run on QBs and stud WRs as expected, Chicago could have its choice of top edge rushers to play opposite Montez Sweat.

Turner is considered the best edge rusher in the draft pool. Long and lean at six-foot-four, 252 pounds, he’s an explosive force on the outside, capable of playing every down. An All-American in 2023, he led the SEC with 10 sacks and finished second in tackles for loss (15).

Meanwhile, if Turner is off the board, Verse would be a suitable fallback option. A constant disruptor at FSU, he ranked third in the ACC in sacks with nine. He may not have Turner’s pure athleticism, but his skill set and motor more than make up for it.

The Bears could also opt to pair the team’s shiny new QB with a tantalizing weapon on the outside by selecting Nabers. Aside from wideout D.J. Moore and tight end Cole Kmet, Chicago lacks pass-catching options and the dynamic consensus All-American who led the SEC in receptions (89) and yards (1,569) more than fits the bill.