Chicago Bears could have the best set of rookies in the NFL in 2024

The NFL Draft was two months ago. Many teams selected the prospects they felt could give them a chance at winning more games. While the Chicago Bears only had five picks in the draft, they might have the most surprising results. They could also have the best set of rookies in the league.

There were a few teams that made impressive improvements to their roster. Take the Pittsburgh Steelers, for example. While they made the playoffs, there were some holes in their roster. They were an early exit in the playoffs due to their struggles in the trenches, especially along the offensive line.

The Chicago Bears may have the best rookie class from the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Steelers then went out and tried to fix that. They drafted three offensive linemen in the first four rounds. That will certainly strengthen the offensive line. They also drafted defensive tackle Logan Lee. With seven picks in the draft, the Steelers spent 57 percent of their picks on linemen. They knew what the assignment was and completed it well.

The Bears had a bigger asgnment. They had more holes to fill and fewer picks. While they improved last season, going from three wins in 2022 to seven in 2023, they felt that the roster they had was not good enough Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles decided to overhaul the entire offense.

The Bears added players throughout the offense. They added running back D'Andre Swift, tight end Gerald Everett, three offensive linemen, and, with the cherry on top, six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. All of these additions transformed the offense. However, he was not done.

Poles used the draft to strengthen the roster even more. This draft class could be the best in the NFL in 2024 and one of the best in franchise history. Let's take a look at the picks.

Caleb Williams, Quarterback, First Round

The Chicago Bears had just four draft picks. Two of them were in the top-ten. Poles used the draft to solidify the offense even more. He used his first three selections on offensive players. The first one was quarterback Caleb Williams.

This pick was a no-brainer for the Bears. Many considered Williams to be a generational talent. He draws comparisons to Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. The Bears expect a lot from him. He could be the franchise quarterback the team spent its entire history looking for.

Williams prepared himself for this. Since he was in high school he wanted to be not just a pick in the draft. He wanted to be the number one overall pick. After winning the 2022 Heisman Trophy and demonstrating his immense skills, he accomplished his goal.

Williams has the ability to always look downfield, even when he is being flushed out of the pocket. He can make any type of throw. While he does not run like Fields, he uses his legs to extend the play. Ha can move around the pocket to make it more difficult for the pass rushers to get to him. Additionally, he can tuck the ball and run the ball.

Williams will have a plethora of targets in 2024. In addition to the receivers, he will have Everett and Cole Kmet at tight end. Kmet has shown himself to be among the best tight ends in the NFL. Now Williams has two big, athletic targets, which will help him in the red zone. Furthermore, he has targets coming out of the backfield with Swift and Roschon Johnson.

Williams was the reason for the offensive overhaul. Poles knew that the previous quarterback, Justin Fields, was very popular both by his teammates and fans. Trading him would cause a lot of emotions in Chicago Bears Nation. If he gave the keys to a Ferrari and Williams is as good as people say, that bodes well for Chicago.

Rome Odunze, Wide Receiver, First Round

With the season top-ten pick, number nine, the Bears added to the much-improved wide receiver corps. With DJ Moore and Allen, Chicago has two of the top receivers in the league. Now they add another elite receiver to the mix, Rome Odunze.

In normal drafts, Odunze would be the first receiver taken. However, in this past draft, there were Marvin Harrison Jr and Malik Nabers. His drop to WR3 was the Chicago Bears' fortune. Odunze now finds himseld as WR3 again. However, the Bears have three WR1-type players for Williams to target.

Odunze has already been impressing during practices. He has been burning many in the secondary. The same secondary that was one of the best in the league. The same secondary that led the league in interceptions last season.

Head coach Matt Eberflus is one of those already very impressed with Odunze.

"I would say Rome. Rome really impressed us in terms of his ability to grab concepts and really execute out there for sure...I think that was really mature on his part to be able to actually discern and understand how he learns best. The part about being a good learner is knowing how you learn best. I think he knows himself really well. Very mature for his age. He's a wonderful teammate and he's going to be exciting to watch."

It will be interesting to see what Odunze does when opposing defenses put their attention on Moore and Allen. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he will bully a lot of the defensive backs who will cover him. Add to it the fact that he will not have to deal with the opponents' best defenders and he could have a big rookie season.

Defenses will have to give him some attention. When that happens, it will create more room for Moore and Allen to produce. That will make the Bears offense very dangerous to handle.

Kiran Amegadjie, Offensive Tackle, Third Round

It does not matter how good the receivers, running backs, tight ends, or quarterback are, if the big boys up front aren't good enough then it will go to waste. The Bears have had trouble with their offensive line for many years. The Bears wanted to make sure that the unit was solid going forward.

Poles added Ryan Bates, Coleman Shelton, and Matt Pryor to strengthen the unit. However, he felt he needed to add another player to help for years to come.

The Bears have Braxton Jones as their important left tackle. While Jones is an adequate player, Chicago needs more than an adequate left tackle. They need a good to great player to protect Williams' blindside. Because of that, Poles and the Bears went with Kiran Amegadjie in the third round.

At 6-foot-5, 325 pounds with 36-and 1/8-inch arms, Amegadjie has incredible size and strength. Not only that, he has great strength and athleticism. It is rare to have that combination. Add to that his high football intelligence (he did go to Yale) and he could be an anchor for years to come.

Amegadjie has the strength to blow up lanes so the running backs have holes to run through. Additionally, he can handle the pass rushers' bull rush. That was one key area in which Jones has yet to improve. Once Amegadjie anchors down, it is difficult to move him or move past him.

Once training camp begins and the players can use pads and go full speed, Amegadjie could show his worth. He will get to use his massive strength and his football IQ. Jones could be involved in a big fight for his job. If Amegadjie performs well, having jones go to a reserve role gives the Bears a deep offensive line.

Tory Taylor, Punter, Fourth Round

While the offense was certainly a priority for Poles, he added more prospects in other areas. The special teams struggled with Trenton Gill punting the ball. He could not flip the field or pin opponents deep in their territory. In the fourth round, Poles then selected Tory Taylor, one of the top punting prospects in recent memory.

Taylor could be the second "generational" prospect Poles and the Bears select. Taylor was a big reason the Iowa Hawkeyes won ten games and were the Big Ten West's division winners. That happened despite Iowa averaging just 15.4 points per game. That ranked 132nd out of 133 teams in the nation.

Taylor has a linebacker's body. He measures 6-foot-4 and weighs 231 pounds. With that, he has a canon for a leg. He can easily flip the field for his team. He can punt the ball from deep in his own territory and pin the ball way into the opponent's side fo the field.

What Taylor also does is accurately drop the ball deep in the opponent's territory. He pins them back and has the defense pin its ears back and play aggressively.

With Taylor and the defense working well together, the new-look offense can then have a short field to work with. That increases the odds of scoring. Seeing that is why it is important a team succeeds in all three aspects of the game. It is exactly what Poles had in mind when he became the Bears GM in 2022.

Taylor's booming leg prevents big plays from happening. He has great hangtime in addition to dropping the ball inside the 20. In 2023, his kicks resulted in 29 fair catches and 32 inside the 20. That's after having 25 and 38, respectively, in 2022. There are many times in games, especially in close ones, in which a punt return jump-started an opponent that resulted in game-winning points.

When the Bears selected Taylor, Williams texted him saying that he would not be punting much. Even if he doesn't, the punts he does have will help give the Chicago Bears field position advantage.

Austin Booker, Defensive End, Fifth Round

With all four picks made, everyone thought the Chicago Bears were finished in the draft. Poles, had other plans, though. He and his staff were enamored with defensive end Austin Booker. He was surprised to see him still available in the fifth round so he traded a 2025 fourth-round pick to re-enter the 2024 draft and got his man.

It was a surprising move for the Bears. Yes, they need help at the position. Recently, the pass rush has failed to get to the quarterbacks, finishing at or near the bottom of the sack rankings. Adding Montez Sweat midway through last season certainly helped, but without someone on the other side to protect him it won't be enough.

Another reason this move was surprising was Booker's inexperience. He played in only 18 games in college, with just one of them being a start. Additionally, he has a total of just 505 total snaps in his college career. There were more experienced and lauded players available earlier in the draft the Bears could have selected.

Additionally, there are some available veterans already established in the league who could help resolve the Bears' pass rush woes. Having such an inexperienced player is a risk.

Is it a real risk, however? When you watch Booker's game film he does not look like he is inexperienced. He shows a variety of moves and his athleticism is off the charts. He can beat an offensive lineman with his speed, his agility, or his power. Moreover, he can rush to the outside or inside. He can even take the outside step then spin and get to the quarterback on the inside.

Depending on what Booker does at training camp, the Bears might not need to pick up a veteran. Even if he does, it will add great depth to Chicago's pass rush, strengthening it. Booker could be the steal of the draft as part of a rookie class that could be the best in the NFL.