Sports Illustrated NFL Mock Draft continues trend of Bears making change at QB

Just when you thought the Chicago Bears quarterback narrative was beginning to crystalize around Caleb Williams and the first overall pick, NFL insiders like Peter King and Peter Schrager shot warning flares into the sky about the potential for GM Ryan Poles to trade the top pick and keep Justin Fields in 2024.

To me, the latest pro-Fields reports are nothing more than the beginning of smokescreen season. And that’s not because I’m an anti-Fields guy, I’m not. I’m a big Justin Fields fan. But even big Fields fans like me have to step back, be logical, and acknowledge that Caleb Williams offers the Bears a better chance — on and off the field — to win a Super Bowl.

Sports Illustrated NFL Draft expert Luke Easterling thinks so, too.

In his latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft, he has the Bears selecting Caleb Williams with the first pick. And at No. 9 overall, he sends Chicago an alpha receiver in Washington’s Rome Odunze.

No matter how much you want Justin Fields to be the man in Chicago, no matter how much you like Justin Fields as a person and quarterback, you must admit that a draft class featuring Williams, the most talented quarterback to enter the NFL in years, and Odunze, a player compared to Larry Fitzgerald, would be the most exciting pair of first-round picks in Bears franchise history.

Personally, I don’t see Odunze sliding to No. 9. There’s too much hype around his game to see him sliding that far, especially with the top three wide receivers, which includes Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers, being considered three of the top six players in the 2024 NFL Draft.

It’s nice to dream, though, right?

The more realistic part of Easterling’s mock draft is Caleb Williams heading to the Chicago Bears with the first pick.

Ignore the smoke. Ignore the misinformation. The most likely winner of the Bears quarterback derby is, in fact, Williams.

Is there a non-zero chance that Poles does commit to Justin Fields and flip the No. 1 pick for a draft haul unlike any other in NFL history? Sure. But don’t bet on it.