Getty General Manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears.
The NFL at large doesn’t expect the Chicago Bears to trade the top pick in the 2024 draft, but they can do so and still nab one of the top two quarterbacks in this year’s class.
Caleb Williams of USC is the projected No. 1 selection, but if Drake Maye of North Carolina or Jayden Daniels of LSU catch Chicago’s eye, the Bears could collect some significant draft capital by moving one spot back in a trade with the Washington Commanders and still select their QB of choice.
Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus laid out what Chicago might secure if the organization is willing to move down one spot and select second overall.
What I’ve heard:
– By no means has Caleb definitively said he doesn’t want to go to Chicago
– Waldron is a good hire, and he works with the QB Collective where Caleb is now training
– Caleb & Co. do trust Kliff
– Chicago would probably be able to get ~ 2, 40, 2025 1st for 1
“What I’ve heard: By no means has Caleb definitively said he doesn’t want to go to Chicago. [Shane] Waldron is a good hire, and he works with the QB Collective where Caleb is now training,” Spielberger wrote on Saturday, February 3. “Caleb & Co. do trust Kliff [Kingsbury]. Chicago would probably be able to get ~ 2, 40, 2025 1st for [pick No.] 1.”
For context, the Commanders hired Kingsbury — who served as a senior offensive analyst and coached Williams directly at USC last season — as their next offensive coordinator under new head coach Dan Quinn.
Bears Expected to Select QB Caleb Williams With Top Pick in NFL Draft
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the USC Trojans.
The Bears will undoubtedly consider all possible avenues when it comes to the most valuable asset currently in the NFL (the No. 1 overall pick), though the feeling around the league is that the team has made up its mind to keep the selection.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported last weekend that word around the Senior Bowl was that Chicago was holding onto the top pick and would likely select Williams.
Adam Schefter, also of ESPN, reported via the “Pat McAfee Show” on Monday that the “widespread consensus around the league” is that the Bears will trade QB Justin Fields and select Williams first overall.
Considering the reporting, Chicago probably isn’t shopping the top pick. However, if Maye or Daniels moves up the team’s board following the NFL Combine and subsequent one-on-one meetings, the opportunity will be there for the Bears to accumulate assets while still drafting a potentially generational quarterback.
Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels Could Prove Elite QB at NFL Level
GettyQuarterback Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Mel Kiper of ESPN slotted Maye as the third overall pick in the draft, landing with the New England Patriots.
“Maye had some ups and downs in 2023, but he’s an outstanding deep-ball thrower in a 6-foot-4 frame. He takes care of the football and has some dual-threat ability,” Kiper wrote. “There’s a ton to like in his potential. And while the Bears might struggle with the decision to move on from their first-round quarterback picked in the 2021 draft, the Patriots shouldn’t agonize much.”
Kiper took the position that Daniels — another dual-threat playmaker like Fields, with explosive playmaking abilities — will go second to the Commanders.
“The reigning Heisman Trophy winner improved so much in 2023, throwing 40 touchdown passes to just four interceptions while going up against a tough SEC schedule,” Kiper said. “The bottom line is it’s tight between Daniels and Maye on my board, but Daniels would be a tremendous fit for a Washington roster that has some young playmakers on offense. Maye’s inconsistency at the end of the season is enough for me to put Daniels at No. 2.”