The 2024 NFL Draft is nearly one week away from commencing in Detroit.
Ahead of the draft, ESPN NFL analysts Mel Kiper and Field Yates published a joint, three-round mock draft. They each take turns drafting pick-by-pick, starting with the Bears at the No. 1 pick.
Here's how they drafted for the Bears through three rounds.
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No. 1 pick: Caleb Williams, quarterback, USC
Kiper drafted for the Bears first with the No. 1 pick. Just like his last mock draft, he selected Williams to become the Bears' new signal caller.
Here's what Kiper wrote about Williams in his previous mock draft.
"I don't think we need to spend much time debating the direction the Bears will go here. Justin Fields is gone, and Williams is the clear best quarterback in this class. With Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and Cole Kmet as his top three targets, he's going to have a chance to hit the ground running in a way that Bryce Young just couldn't in Carolina last season.
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"Williams is a supreme talent with top-tier arm strength, accuracy and improvisational skills in and outside the pocket. 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.
"The question is: Will it go with help for Williams on offense or an edge rusher to play on the other side of Sweat?"
No. 9 pick: Rome Odunze, wide receiver, Washington
Again, just like Kiper's previous mock draft, he drafted Odunze to the Bears.
"I love this fit with Williams, though I thought about an offensive lineman or edge rusher too," Kiper wrote in this mock draft. "Odunze could be a star. This is how Chicago can set up Williams to succeed as a rookie."
No. 75 pick: Kiran Amegadjie, offensive tackle, Yale
No edge rushers through the first three rounds for the Bears in this mock draft.
As Kiper said in his blurb about Odunze, he thought about going edge rusher or offensive tackle with the No. 9 pick, but opted for a wide receiver. He satiated one of those needs with Amegadjie from Yale.
"Amegadjie played just four games last season after tearing his quad muscle in October, but he has intriguing traits in a 6-foot-5 frame," Kiper wrote. "I thought about an edge rusher for the Bears, but there aren't many likely to play early in this range. I'd rather take a flier on Amegadjie."
For the Bears to take an edge rusher, there appears to be better value towards the end of the first round. Should the Bears become disinterested in available players with the No. 9 pick, they could trade back, earn assets in return, and draft a coveted edge rusher there.
That's exactly what the Bears do in Insider Josh Schrock's mock draft, which you can find here. Make sure to check it out, as he completes the entire draft for the Bears.