If the Washington Commanders end up hiring Kliff Kingsbury to be their next offensive coordinator, would that shake up the 2024 draft? GMs always have the final say on draft picks or trades, but if/when Kingsbury becomes OC, it will be because of his experience developing young quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray. Of course, Kingsbury was an offensive analyst for USC this season, so he knows exactly what Caleb Williams can bring to the table. And if Kingsbury says Williams is the can’t-miss QB prospect since Mahomes, the Commanders might be moved to do whatever it takes to select him.
That’s the scenario we’re going to explore in this week’s Bears mock draft.
As always, this mock draft is not an attempt to predict what the Bears will actually do when they’re back in the War Room next offseason. That’s impossible. Nor is it meant as a recommendation of what the Bears should do. This mock draft is meant to be a fun way to discuss wild ideas, dig into some of the intriguing college prospects this season, and project how those players may fit in Chicago.
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TRADE! BEARS SEND NO. 1 OVERALL PICK, NO. 110 OVERALL PICK, 2025 FIFTH-ROUND PICK IN EXCHANGE FOR NO. 2 OVERALL PICK, NO. 40 OVERALL PICK, 2025 FIRST-ROUND PICK, 2025 FOURTH-ROUND PICK, 2026 FIRST-ROUND PICK
We’ve seen NFL teams do wild things to get their guy after big changes. The Rams sent two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two third-round picks to select Jared Goff when they moved to Los Angeles. When Washington made a play for Robert Griffin III in 2012, they sent three firsts and a second to St. Louis. Would new Commanders owner Josh Harris blow all of that out of the water for Williams? If he did would the Bears be able to resist?
NO. 2: DRAKE MAYE - QUARTERBACK - NORTH CAROLINA
Partway through the college football season draft expert Dane Brugler made Maye the No. 1 prospect on his big board, over Williams, and it’s an understandable decision. Maye’s got a phenomenal deep ball and can hit streaking wide receivers in stride. He’s not afraid to throw contested balls to give his receivers a chance to make a 50-50 grab, which would pair well with DJ Moore’s skill set. He’s very accurate and throws with great timing, but he can improvise when plays break down too. Maye doesn’t have the same scrambling ability of Williams or Fields, but he’s athletic enough to be a threat with his legs. Pretty much the full package and a great consolation prize for any team that doesn’t land Williams.
NFL
Over the past two seasons at North Carolina, Maye completed 64.9% of his passes for 7,929 yards for 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He added 296 carries for 1,147 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.
NO. 9: JER’ZHAN NEWTON - DEFENSIVE TACKLE - ILLINOIS
The Bears loaded up at defensive tackle last year with Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, but the best defensive lines in the NFL come at you in waves. If the team opts not to bring back Justin Jones, they’ll need to reload the position. Newton is a dynamic three-tech who can help plug up holes in the run game and creates pressure in the pass game. His eight sacks were tied for second among interior defensive linemen. His 15.4% pass rush win rate was tied for eighth among interior linemen with at least 100 pass rush snaps. For his efforts, Newton won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
TRADE! BEARS SEND JUSTIN FIELDS, NO. 122 OVERALL PICK TO BUCCANEERS IN EXCHANGE FOR NO. 26 OVERALL PICK
The Bucs exceeded expectations with Baker Mayfield in 2023, and that helped Mayfield bump up his value for 2024. But the Bucs would rather pay a more dynamic QB in this mock draft universe and make a deal for Fields. The Bears send a fourth-round pick to Tampa Bay to sweeten the deal.
NO. 26: TROY FRANKLIN - WIDE RECEIVER - OREGON
Ryan Poles gets a tall pass catcher to complement DJ Moore and help his new rookie QB. Franklin is listed at 6’3”, which is much bigger than Moore who measures 5’11”. Franklin also developed into one of the most explosive deep threats in the nation in 2023, which will continue to help the Bears create space for Moore in the middle of the field where he thrives. Franklin’s 14 catches of 20+ yards last season were tied for sixth-most across the country. His 17.1 yards per reception were just a shade behind bigger-name receivers like Marvin Harrison Jr. (17.8 yds/rec) and Malik Nabers (17.6 yds/rec).
NO. 40: JONAH ELLISS - EDGE - UTAH
Elliss was so productive at the start of the season that he was trending into first-round pick territory, but 10 games into the season he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Elliss still finished tied for sixth in the nation with 13 sacks, despite missing the end of the year, and his 1.3 sacks/game average outpaced guys like Laiatu Latu (1.25), Dallas Turner (0.78) and Jared Verse (0.85). Elliss has a variety of moves to beat opposing linemen. His spin move and swim move in particular can be devastating.
NO. 75: ROMAN WILSON - WIDE RECEIVER - MICHIGAN
The Bears round out their receivers room with a guy who has plenty of experience playing in the slot. That will help the Bears, as it would allow Moore and Franklin to primarily play on the outside where they’re best. Wilson emerged as the Wolverines’ top pass catcher this year, but hasn’t received the same type of pre-draft buzz compared to other wide receivers since Michigan was a run-heavy team. Draft experts heaped praise on Wilson for his impressive Senior Bowl practices, and we know the Bears put a lot of value in the information they gather at the event each year.
