Getty Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
The Chicago Bears can trade out of the 9th pick in the NFL draft, likely for a sizable haul, or select an elite edge rusher — but there’s one other possible outcome that could prove better than the rest.
More than one draft analyst has projected that Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze might fall to the Bears at No. 9, particularly if a team seeking a quarterback trades up with the likes of the Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 or the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5 and takes an organization likely to select a wideout out of the picture.
Those mocks assumed that Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State and Malik Nabers of LSU are the top two pass-catchers on most draft boards, leaving Odunze the odd man out and thus available to Chicago with the 9th pick. But Ian Valentino of 33rd Team authored a different prediction on April 1 — that Nabers and Odunze will drop to the Bears at No. 9, and that Chicago will select the LSU receiver.
“DJ Moore + Keenan Allen + Malik Nabers?” 33rd Team posted to X. “Caleb Williams‘ weapons as a rookie could be insane 😨.”
Several Teams Consider Malik Nabers Best Wide Receiver in 2024 NFL Draft
GettyLSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.
Valentino’s prediction assumes several things, though two very specific to Chicago. The first assumption is that the Bears will draft Williams, the highly-touted USC quarterback, with the first overall pick.
That is a relatively safe guess considering the team traded three-year starter Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. The second assumption is less of a certainty — that Chicago will pass up would could be a massive asset haul for moving back just a handful of picks from No. 9 into the mid-teens from a team desperate for an elite wide receiver.
That possibility exists. However, Allen is under contract for just one more season, has dealt with some injury issues in each of the past two campaigns and will play in 2024 at the age of 32. If Chicago is high on either Nabers or Odunze, general manager Ryan Poles may find that talent too difficult to pass up.
Pairing Williams with a player like Nabers offers the Bears the possibility of an elite QB-WR duo for the next decade. And as ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted to social media following Nabers’ pro day at LSU, there are several teams around the league who consider him the “top wideout” in the 2024 class.
“There are some NFL personnel men who believe Malik Nabers is this draft class’ top wideout,” Schefter posted to X.
Malik Nabers Boasts Elite Speed, Separation Capabilities
GettyWide receiver Malik Nabers of LSU.
Lance Zierlein on NFL Network ranks Nabers as the second-best receiver in the draft and projects him as a Day-1 starter equipped with “pure explosiveness and talent.”
Nabers is the next big thing coming out of LSU’s receiver room, with the pure explosiveness and talent to be mentioned in the same breath as former LSU stars starring in the league today.
Despite a lack of polish and precision as a route-runner, Nabers’ gliding movements and speed alterations seem to disguise the top-end speed and separation potential that await opposing coverages. He’s a bouncy leaper with the athletic ability to make the impossible catches possible. He tucks away accurate throws and displays the toughness and play strength to fight for tight-window victories over the middle.
He can play all three receiver spots and has the profile to become a productive, high-volume target over all three levels as a potential WR1.
Zierlein noted that Nabers needs to improve his route-running skills, though the natural talent that can’t be taught is there for Nabers in elite amounts.