Grading Mel Kiper’s picks for the Chicago Bears in his final 2024 NFL mock draft

ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. published his final mock draft for the 2024 NFL Draft, and as expected, he kicks off a new era for the Chicago Bears.

With the first overall pick, the Bears select quarterback Caleb Williams.

“Williams is a supreme talent with top-tier arm strength, accuracy and improvisational skills in and outside the pocket,” Kiper said. “Chicago doesn’t have a second-round pick as a result of its trade for edge rusher Montez Sweat in October, so it has to add a high-ceiling starter with the No. 9 selection.”

This should come as no surprise. Williams is the pick. He’s been the pick since the moment the 2023 regular season ended. Simply put, the Chicago Bears won the NFL equivalent of the Powerball. They’ll finally have a franchise quarterback on April 25.

The real intrigue for the Bears’ 2024 NFL Draft is with their second first-round pick, No. 9 overall. Mel Kuper Jr. pushes all of the team’s chips in on offense, sending Washington WR Rome Odunze to Chicago to help ensure that Caleb Williams reaches his full potential.

MORE: 6 quarterbacks taken in first round of this 2024 NFL Mock Draft

“This would be a dream scenario for the Bears, right?” Kiper wrote. “They would be adding an elite wideout on a rookie contract to play with Keenan Allen and DJ Moore, and they wouldn’t have to move up from No. 9 to do it. Remember that Allen is a free agent in 2025, so wide receiver is a bigger need for Chicago than it might seem. The 6-foot-3 Odunze was a nightmare for defenses to deal with in college. He had 92 catches last season, 23 of which came on vertical routes, the most in the FBS, according to ESPN Stats & Information.”

Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze? Bears fans might pass out if this actually happens.

Odunze has been compared to Larry Fitzgerald because of his blend of above-average size, top-shelf hands, and elite body control. He’d be a perfect complement to Moore and Allen and, eventually, a replacement for Allen as a long-term go-to guy for Williams.

As for a grade? Mel Kiper Jr.’s mock draft is about as good as it gets for the Chicago Bears. The only way reality could be better is if the Bears end up with Malik Nabers, who I have just a tick behind Marvin Harrison Jr. However, Odunze is an absolute stud and more than just a consolation prize.

GRADE: A