The Bears made their first big move of a franchise-defining offseason Tuesday when they officially announced Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator.
In Waldron, the Bears get a bright, creative play-caller with deep roots in the Shanahan tree. Waldron has spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. He arrives in Chicago with play-calling experience, a track record of maximizing his personnel, and a proven ability to dial up explosive plays.
Waldron’s arrival doesn’t tip the Bears’ hand about their pending quarterback decision, but Waldron will play a significant role in keeping Justin Fields or drafting Caleb Williams.
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With a new OC in place, here’s our Insider Mock Draft version 1.1. It still only goes through the first three rounds but comes with some slight tweaks from 1.0.
ROUND 1 (No. 1 overall): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
I could come up with some massive trade that has the Bears get a haul and keep Fields, but that wouldn’t fit how very early winds are blowing. That would be a waste of everyone’s time.
I have a hard time seeing any of my mock drafts not start with Williams. Fields has improved as a passer, but not enough to justify passing on a quarterback that everyone around the NFL has been dreaming about since he burst onto the scene as a freshman at Oklahoma.
"He's a generational talent," one NFC scout told NBC Sports Chicago. "They don't make them like him. What Caleb Williams can do -- that probably only comes around once every 20 or 30 years. If you're lucky enough to be holding that lottery ticket, you don't give it up."
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner racked up 120 total touchdowns in three seasons. His off-schedule wizardry reminds some of Patrick Mahomes, including former Texas Tech head coach and current USC analyst Kliff Kingsbury. He has excellent field vision, accuracy, and arm talent to drop dimes into tight windows.
He’s too good, and his ceiling is too high to pass up.
Round 1 (No. 9 overall): Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
I had the Bears taking Odunze in my first mock, and the hire of Waldron makes me lean even heavier into the belief that general manager Ryan Poles will get his new OC (and likely new QB) an elite playmaker early in the draft.
Odunze likely will rise as the pre-draft process continues. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Los Angeles Chargers or New York Giants grab him at five or six.
But for now, I’m sticking with Odunze here.
The Washington product is an elite route-runner who dominates defensive backs at the catch point. He’s a physical receiver who uses his frame well in 50-50 situations and has the speed and elusiveness to rack up yards after catch.
“I know everyone is in love with [Marvin Harrison Jr.], but I think there’s a good case to be made for Odunze being the best receiver in this class,” an AFC scout told NBC Sports Chicago. “I think with his size, speed, fluidity, explosiveness, and physicality, he’s the complete package.”
TRADE!
Bears receive: 2024 second-round pick (No. 52), 2024 third-round pick (No. 84), 2025 fourth-round pick
Steelers receive: Justin Fields, 2024 fifth-round pick
After drafting Williams, the Bears find a suitor for Fields. The Steelers are coming off a season in which they made the playoffs despite a dreadful offense with limited production from quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph.
The Steelers get a potential long-term answer to their quarterback issue, and the Bears get much-needed Day 2 capital. (It would have been nice for the Steelers to send over a first to apologize for the Chase Claypool heist, but no dice there.)
CHICAGO BEARS
Round 2 (No. 52): Chris Braswell, EDGE, Alabama
Washington’s Bralen Trice would be the ideal prospect to put opposite Montez Sweat, but he and Chop Robinson will likely be gone by this point.
That’s OK, though.
The Bears snap up Braswell, who has less hype but might wind up being a better pro than his teammate Dallas Turner.
Braswell is an explosive pass rusher with great power and physicality. The Alabama product has a motor that never stops, and his bull rush will be a weapon on Day 1 in the NFL.
Braswell lacks the ideal length of a dominant edge rusher, but he should be plenty productive opposite Sweat.
Per Pro Football Focus, Braswell had 33 hurries, 13 sacks, 10 hits, and a pass-rush win rate of 18.2 percent this past season.
That will do.
ROUND 3 (No. 75): Sedrick Van Pran, IOL, Georgia
It will be interesting to see how the top centers shake out on Day 2 of the draft.
Van Pran is at the top of the list, along with Oregon’s Jackson Powers Johnson, West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, and Duke’s Graham Barton (a tackle who might shift inside in the NFL).
I think Powers Johnson will rise as the draft nears and go off the board early in the second round. Frazier and Van Pran should both go on Day 2 as well, but the third round feels like a more likely spot for them to come off the board.
The Bears will love Van Pran’s athleticism, lateral quickness, high football IQ, and strength.
Waldron’s wide-zone rushing attack fits perfectly with the offensive line the Bears started to build for Luke Getsy, and Van Pran fits the mold of the type of lineman they need in the middle.
Van Pran’s athleticism is notable in the run game. He has a quick first step that allows him to help on a double team or get to the second level.
In pass pro, Van Pran’s strength and IQ really shine. He does an excellent job of handling and passing off twists and stunts (something the Bears were horrible at this past season), and his strength allows him to stop penetration in the A gap.
Center was a big problem for the Bears in 2023. With right tackle, right guard, and left guard solved, the Bears finish off the interior of their rebuilt offensive line with Van Pran, which shifts all eyes to left tackle and Braxton Jones’ future.
Round 3 (No. 84): Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State
The Bears finish out their first two days by giving Waldron a big-body receiver to fill out his arsenal.
Adding Wilson to Moore and Odunze gives the Bears a 6-foot-7 jump-ball threat with alignment versatility and a big catch radius.
Wilson is great at using his size and frame to go up and attack the ball on vertical routes. He has good speed and can be difficult to tackle in open space due to his size.
The Florida State product has shown an inability to separate at times, which has made him reliant on the 50/50 ball. He also has had some problems with drops during his career.
The Bears traded for Chase Claypool because they wanted a big-body receiver whose size and physicality would be a weapon on third down and in the red zone. Claypool flamed out, but the Bears can fill that hole with Wilson and set Williams and Waldron up for success in 2024.