ESPN’s Post-Senior Bowl Mock Draft sends Bears shocking pick in Round 1

The momentum around the Chicago Bears selecting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft reached overdrive in Mobile, Alabama, during the 2024 Senior Bowl.

I was in Mobile for the week of practices, and I can confirm that everyone I spoke with was convinced Ryan Poles will take Williams and trade Justin Fields.

Sure, Poles could be blown away by a once-in-a-lifetime offer from the Washington Commanders, but as of now, it feels like you can write Williams’ name in dark pencil on your 2024 NFL Mock Drafts.

That’s what ESPN’s Matt Miller did in his latest mock draft (a two-round variety) at the first pick.

“Williams is a unique quarterback prospect with elite arm strength and field vision, plus an innate ability to create plays from inside and outside the pocket. He has 93 career touchdown throws and just 14 interceptions,” Miller wrote. “Fields has taken steps, but Williams” ceiling is a top-three NFL quarterback. The Bears — who are 24th in QBR (45.1) since drafting Fields in 2021 — can’t pass that up.”

I’ve drifted further away from Fields since the end of the regular season and completely agree with Miller’s assessment. Williams has rare upside, there’s a reality in which he can become one of the three or four best quarterbacks in the NFL. The Chicago Bears have never had a player with that kind of ability, and that includes Fields.

Sure, it’s hard to admit that Fields isn’t as good as Williams, especially because Fields is such a great dude in the locker room and off the field. But Bears fans can’t settle for good over great. Williams can be great, and he has to be the pick.

The surprise in this ESPN mock draft comes in the second round, where Miller has the Chicago Bears taking Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu ninth overall.

Most Bears fans expect an offensive weapon at that pick: a wide receiver or, perhaps, Brock Bowers.

Fashanu is a fantastic prospect, but is he the right pick?

‘Bears left tackle Braxton Jones is a good but limited player, he will never be a top-five NFL left tackle,” Miller wrote. “So with the top three receivers off the board, I’m looking at the loaded OT class. Fashanu is raw — he has been a starter for just 18 games in college — but he has excellent movement ability and a mean streak in the run game. He has the potential to become an elite NFL tackle, which is why Chicago skips reaching for a wide receiver or drafting a pass-rusher in favor of taking Fashanu as the best player available.”

Miller added an interesting nugget: Fashanu and Williams played high school football together. It’d be quite the story if they’re reunited on the same team in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

While that would be an awesome Hollywood script, I’m not sure it’s the right pick for the Chicago Bears. It may be true that Jones isn’t (and won’t be) a top-five left tackle in the NFL, but he isn’t a liability on this roster. In fact, he’s one of the offense’s better players. Using a top-10 pick on a position that isn’t a glaring need wouldn’t make sense. Instead, an offensive weapon like Bowers, who doesn’t get selected in ESPN’s mock draft until No. 14 (Saints), would pay immediate (and long-term) dividends.

Still, it’s an interesting take on what the Chicago Bears could do in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which is currently the biggest talking point in the NFL.

What grade would you give ESPN’s 2024 Mock Draft? Create a free user account and share your opinion in the comments. If you’d like an ad-free Bears Talk and access to our exclusive content, level up to a premium account for just $3.49/mo or $29.99/yr. We’d love to have you! Bear Down!