Day one of the 2024 NFL Draft is officially here, and with the No. 1 pick, all eyes are on the Chicago Bears.
The three-day, seven-round 2024 NFL Draft begins Thursday at 7 p.m. Last month, the Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 sixth-round pick — and it’s almost official that the team will use its No. 1 pick to snag the USC quarterback and winner 2022 Heisman, Caleb Williams.
MORE: 7 important takeaways from the Chicago Bears’ new stadium proposal
But then things get a little blurry. What remains up in the air is who they will take with their No. 9 pick and what direction the team will take with its picks in the third and fourth rounds. And then, of course, there are the NFL Draft trade rumors.
As day one begins, here’s what you need to know.
When is the 2024 NFL Draft?
The draft begins on Thursday, April 25. The league will play the entire first round that evening.
The second and third rounds will take place on Friday April 26. A marathon session on Saturday, April 27 will take care of rounds four through seven.
What time does the 2024 NFL Draft start?
The draft begins at 7 p.m. on April 25. The second round begins at 6 p.m. on April 26 and the third day begins at 11 a.m.
How to watch the NFL Draft
The 2024 NFL Draft will be available on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network.
For complete analysis and more, here’s how to watch coverage of the 2024 NFL Draft week on NBC Sports Chicago.
What are the Bears’ choices?
The Bears have four selections this year: picks No. 1, 9, 75 and 122.
Who should the Bears pick at No. 1?
The Bears are expected to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams first overall.
Williams checked all the boxes for the Bears during the pre-draft process. They check in and meet all the criteria set by general manager Ryan Poles, and those inside Halas Hall are convinced that Williams is uniquely wired to thrive in Chicago’s pressure cooker.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and potential No. 1 overall pick by the Bears has a world of talent. He has elite arm talent, rare off-script playmaking ability and has had NFL evaluators drooling since bursting onto the scene at Oklahoma in 2021.
But criticism of Williams intensified in the 2023 season. As USC struggled due to a horrible defense and a leaky offensive line, Williams was forced to try to put the Trojans on his back. The Hero Ball approach led to some jaw-dropping highlights, but also some bad decisions.
A 52-42 loss to undefeated Washington was the perfect example of the uphill battle Williams faced while trying to draft the Trojans’ imperfect roster for wins on a weekly basis. It was a loss that led to a viral moment that served as a crutch for some of Williams’ biggest critics.
After the loss, cameras captured Williams entering the stands to be hugged by his mother, who tried to shield him from the cameras as he cried. That moment became one that critics cite as the reason he can’t be counted on to be a leader in the NFL.
Former NFL star and six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has no time for those who view emotion as weakness.
“People question why he cries after games. People who question Caleb Williams crying after games or an athlete crying after games have never worked extremely hard for anything,” McCoy, now an analyst for NFL Network, told NBC Sports Chicago at Radio Row for Super. Bowl 58. “You have no idea the hours we put in as athletes. Everyone handles things differently. He shows passion. You mean to tell me you question his strength or what it’s because he chooses to deal with the loss by going to talk to his mother?! Because he’s going to cry?! You know how many people cry to their mother behind closed doors? It’s always on camera athletes that you’ll be surprised to do a lot of crying in the locker room.
“So don’t question his strength because he cries after losing. We put a lot into this sport, much more than our bodies. So his passion and who he is as a person, if that’s why that you wouldn’t choose him or I want him to be your boss, okay whatever. So I don’t want you to be a fan anyway. one of these guys.”
Who should the Bears pick at No. 9?
The Bears have several ways to go with their second first-round pick this year. However, over the past four months, dropping has been the Bears’ expected move at No. 9.
That’s still in the cards – but there are a few players selected that the Bears would consider “stick and pick” selections.
For those inside Halas Hall, Rome Odunze, a wide receiver from Washington, is at the top of the list. With his size, elite ball skills, physical run-after-the-catch ability, contested-catch prowess and lineup versatility, Odunze is the ideal receiver to add to a receiving corps that includes already DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.
Allen is 32 years old, in the final year of his contract and has suffered from soft tissue injuries in recent seasons. Without reliable depth behind Allen and Moore, the Bears need to add a high-ceiling No. 3 receiver to ensure Williams has the proper support system around him.
The Bears also need to plan for life after Caleb Williams, whether that’s in a few years or in 2025.
Odunze ticks all these boxes. Scouts compared him to Davante Adams, Larry Fitzgerald and Allen.
If the Bears don’t take Odunze at No. 9, left tackle Joe Alt and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II appear to be the other two likely candidates if they become available. Alt should be a top 7 pick.
If the Bears give up, it will likely be to a non-Alt tackle, with Alabama’s JC Latham and Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga as prime targets among the tackles.
What about the Bears’ picks in the third and fourth picks?
Here’s a look at Chicago Bears insider Josh Schrock’s latest mock draft.
Third-Round Prediction (No. 75 Overall): Austin Booker, DE, Kansas
By opting not to trade No. 9, the Bears only have two picks left in the draft, but there are still impact players to be found in the third and fourth rounds.
Booker is one.
A long, wiry defender with explosive athleticism, Booker possesses all the traits the Bears covet in a defensive end.
Although he needs to get bigger and stronger, Booker has a good running plan with the length and speed to take over quarterbacks and running backs in the blink of an eye.
He was compared to Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby during the pre-draft process. It’s a lofty comparison, but Booker has the tools and talent to become an extremely productive edge rusher with the right coaching and development.
Fourth-round prediction (No. 122 overall): Hunter Nourzad, IOL, Penn State
The Bears complete a short but potentially franchise-altering draft with their long-term answer at center.
Nourzad is a powerful center with solid length, good technique and the ability to play in any scheme.
The Bears traded for Ryan Bates this offseason and signed Coleman Shelton to a one-year deal, but neither figure in their long-term plans at center. The Bears love Bates, but he’s probably best used as an interior lineman once all the pieces are in place.
Nourzad will need some adjustments, but he can be a good depth piece in 2024 and plans to take over in 2025.
2024 NFL Draft Order
Here is the exact order of the first round of this year’s draft. As mentioned above, this order can change at any time during a transaction.
- Bear (via CAR)
- Commanders
- Patriots
- Cardinals
- Chargers
- giants
- Titans
- Falcons
- Bear
- Jets
- Vikings
- Broncos
- Raiders
- Saints
- Colts
- sea hawks
- Jaguar
- Bengals
- Rams
- Steelers
- dolphins
- Eagles
- Vikings (via CLE)
- Cowboys
- Packers
- Buccaneers
- Cardinals (via HOU)
- Invoices
- the Lions
- Crows
- 49ers
- Chefs
How much time does each team have to choose in the draft?
The amount of time NFL teams have to decide their picks varies by round.
In the first round, each team has 10 minutes per pick, meaning the Bears’ pick might not arrive at 7 p.m.
From there, the league accelerated. Teams have seven minutes per pick in the second round, then five minutes per pick for rounds three through six. For the seventh round, the teams only have four minutes to make their choice.
As soon as a team hands its draft pick card to an NFL runner, the clock resets for the next pick.
What happens if a team runs out of time before making their choice?
If a team lets time expire without making a pick, the next team in line has the option to turn in their card for the next pick instead. However, the team that ran out of time does not lose their choice entirely. They can always make their choice later, whenever they return their card.
Wait a second…are the Bears building a new stadium?
The Bears gave fans and all of Chicago a first look at what they plan to build along the city’s lakefront on Wednesday, announcing everything from the location to roofing plans to green space and the details of the place.
The team revealed plans for more than just a stadium, but rather an entertainment center that could host Super Bowls, playoffs, concerts and more.
“We have the best museums in the country. We have the most beautiful lakefront. We have the most vibrant downtown architectural design. And this gives us the opportunity to be able to bring all of that together in the greatest city in the planet,” Bears said. said President and CEO Kevin Warren during a live press conference on Wednesday.
Here’s more about it.
NBC Chicago
