Chicago Bears Mock Draft 2024: In important draft Poles deftly fills number of holes

#9 Overall: Jared Verse, Edge, FSU

Another area of need for the Chicago Bears is an edge rusher. Sure, they have Montez Sweat. However, there is still a need for a starter opposite of him. Yannick Ngakoue is a free agent and won't return. There is also DeMarcus Walker. He had his shot last season, though. He was the starter at the beginning of the season.

When the Bears picked up Sweat at the trade deadline Walker was a backup. When Ngakoue went down, Walker again became a starter. However, he was not able to make an impression. For the season, Walker had just 3.5 sacks.

Jared Verse is the top-rated defensive end in the draft. He has excellent length and athleticism. In addition to defensive end, he played tight end in high school. He has good quickness and bend. He also has a great work ethic. He went largely overlooked when he came out of high school and worked hard.

Verse had to go to Albany to play. He redshirted his first season. In his first full season playing there, he had 10 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. That got the attention of Florida State. He could have been a first-round pick had he come out last year but elected to stay and gambled on himself. He won and now will be a top-ten pick.