Getty Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles.
If the Chicago Bears keep the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft, don’t expect them to draft wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Longtime Bears insider Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, who is as tuned in as anyone covering the team, shared his thoughts about Chicago’s plans for the top pick, which the team acquired in a trade with the Carolina Panthers prior to the draft last year.
“There are an array of possibilities for the Bears to consider at No. 1. They can draft a quarterback. They can trade down and get another haul. They can stay put and select a player. I will say it’s unlikely, in my estimation, they would stand pat at No. 1 and select Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.,” Biggs wrote in his weekly “10 Thoughts” column on January 1, adding:
“The last time a wide receiver was chosen No. 1 was Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. Before that, you have to go back to Irving Fryar in 1984. Receivers don’t go at the top of the draft class and this looks to be a terrific year for receivers, so there wouldn’t be a need to rush it.”
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Harrison, 21, will surely be the first WR selected in the draft. But Biggs has a point when it comes to wideouts at No. 1 overall — it just doesn’t happen much.
That’s not to say Harrison isn’t a worthy prospect. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Ohio State standout averaged 5.1 yards after the catch over his three seasons with the Buckeyes, and he’s able to do damage from anywhere on the field.
Harrison lined up out wide just under 80% of his snaps this past season, also lining up in the slot 19.4% of the time, according to PFF. He has just over 2,500 yards receiving and 28 touchdown catches over the last two seasons.
The two most likely scenarios are that Bears GM Ryan Poles keeps the top pick and selects a QB, or he did what he did in 2023 and trade down for more draft capital and a standout WR in DJ Moore.
“When the Bears traded the No. 1 pick last year, it was just the 13th time since the NFL/AFL merger in 1967 that the top pick was dealt and the second time since 2001,” Biggs also noted. “No team has traded the No. 1 pick in consecutive years.”
What About WRs Malik Nabers & Rome Odunze?
I’ve done it: Rome Odunze has moved up to my WR2 in the 2024 draft.
The gap between him and Malik Nabers was small to begin with. While Nabers is faster, Odunze is a more polished WR. That, along with his size, has me super high on him this year.
While Harrison is widely considered to be the best receiver in the draft, this is also a class that features multiple talented young pass catchers. LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers and Washington wideout Rome Odunze are two of them.
Nabers (1,569 yards in 13 games) and Odunze (1,553 yards in 14 games) are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in receiving yards this season. Both will be entering the draft this year, and both are expected to shine in the NFL. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Nabers spent the last three years at LSU, and he has over 2,500 yards and 27 TDs over the last two seasons.
Odunze has been with the Washington Huskies for the past four years. He has also come on over the last two seasons, netting over 2,500 receiving yards and 20 scores.
Florida State’s Keon Coleman has also declared for the draft, as has Texas’s Xavier Worthy. Thus, there will be no shortage of options for the Bears to choose from if they don’t snag Harrison.