After a whirlwind weekend, the 2024 NFL Draft is over. All the teams in the league, including the Chicago Bears, chose the prospects they felt could help strengthen the roster to win more games. Some teams did an excellent job of doing so. Count the Bears as one of them.
General Manager Ryan Poles made it his mission to change the franchise's fortunes on the offensive side of the ball. He revamped the unit, discarding both coaches and players. Then he added some very good players to replace them. He transformed an offense that ranked near the bottom for the better part of a decade into one that could possibly become the best in the league.
Now that the dust has settled on the 2024 NFL Draft, we take a look at what the Chicago Bears did and hand out grades.
Chicago Bears fans are now looking forward to the start of the season. That is true every season. However, this time they are looking forward to seeing a team that can compete for the NFC North title and possibly make some noise in the NFC playoffs. Whether they do it is still a question, but they do now have a legitimate shot.
Just as he has done since he became GM of the Bears, Poles had a vision of what he wanted for the offense. It does not matter if the fans, players, or others around the league understand that vision. He has not been shy about shipping out popular players. If they do not fit his vision they are gone.
So far, his vision has been solid. He tore down the roster and then built it back up. Last offseason, he mostly concentrated on defense. As the season progressed, the defense was one of the stingiest in the league. They were number one against the run, fifth in total turnovers, and number one in interception.
This offseason, Poles was offensive. He made trades and free agent signings that leaned heavily on the offense. That continued into the draft. He put the finishing touches on the offense and brought an excitement we have not seen in Chicago Bears Nation for quite some time.
Let's take a look at Poles' draft moves. Here are grades for every pick.
Round 1, #1 Overall: Caleb Williams, QB, USC -- A
Finally, Poles was able to make his decision official. It was the move everyone expected. He finally declared that Caleb Williams was his guy. In his phone conversation with Williams, Poles said that the NFL officials told him to wait five minutes before putting in his pick. He told them that he was waiting a month to make the pick.
This is the pick Poles had to make once he traded Justin Fields. He was the most complete quarterback in the draft, no disrespect to Jayden Daniels. He can make any throw from any angle. If a play breaks down, he is at his best. He will scramble to buy some time but keeps his eyes downfield. Then he finds the defense's vulnerability and attacks it.
Williams does not run the ball like Fields. However, he can make some plays with his legs that will move the chains and kill defenses.
Williams has the fortune of entering the best situation of any quarterback ever picked number one. He has weapons both on the ground and through the air. DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, two of the best wide receivers in the league, will greatly help in Williams' development. They are great route-runners and will show him where the ball should be placed for them.
This is Williams' offense now. He draws comparisons to Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes. Now he has to show that he is worthy of those comparisons.
Round 1, #9 Overall: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington -- A
Poles' second top-ten pick of the first round gives Williams another weapon in Rome Odunze. Having Moore and Allen doesn't only help Williams. Those two will also be great for Odunze. Odunze can watch how those two prepare before a game and look at how they play the game and he will learn a great deal about his position.
Odunze has incredible body control and just loves making contested catches. Win he wins the fight for the ball, he is a threat to break off a big play. He has great balance so when the defensive back gets off balance Odunze will be off to the races.
Odunze has great size and strength. He is 6-foot-3, 212 pounds. He will bully defensive backs and wear them down. This season, he will cause a lot of matchup troubles. Defenses will put their attention on Moore and Allen. That means he will receive a lot of one-on-one situations.
On most other teams he would be a WR1. That means teams will learn right away that they cannot consistently have Odunze in single coverage. If they send a double team to him, Moore or Allen will then do their thing. It is a "pick your poison" decision for opponents and whoever they choose it will be a wrong decision.
Round 3, # 75 Overall: Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale -- B
Tell me if you heard this before -- Poles gets more help for Williams with this pick. This time he goes offensive line with Kiran Amegadjie. Amegadjie is a massive 6-foot-5, 323 pounds and has 36-inch long arms. He has the body and athleticism to succeed at left tackle. However, he has experience at every position except center on the line.
Amegadjie is still somewhat of a project. He missed the entire 2020 season because the Ivy League decided to suspend play because of COVID. Additionally, he only played four games in 2023 with a quad injury. The Bears can afford to bring him along slowly, though. They feel comfortable that second-year left tackle Braxton Jones can continue to improve.
In the meantime, Amegadjie can fill in at both tackle spots while he improves. He has all the tools to succeed, however. His footwork allows him to mirror pass rushers. He has the strength to withstand the bull rush. In the run game, he will be able to move bodies around and open gaping holes for the ball carrier. Additionally, he recognizes late blitzes or stunts and makes the adjustment quickly.
Amegadjie is a local kid as well. He comes from Hinsdale and, of course, grew up a Chicago Bears fan. Now he gets to play for his hometown team.
Round 4, #122 Overall: Tory Taylor, P, Iowa -- B-
With what many thought would be the Chicago Bears' final pick of the draft, Poles decided to go to special teams. He selected Iowa punter Tory Taylor. This was likely the most controversial selection made the entire weekend.
The Bears have a big need at defensive end. Yes, Poles invested a lot in Williams. However, he also invested a lot in defensive end Montez Sweat. To be more specific, he invested $98 million in Sweat. Poles has to get him help.
We saw in the 2023 regular season finale how the Green Bay Packers completely disrespected whoever was playing on the other side of Sweat. They sent a wave of bodies at Sweat to neutralize him. Without anyone else to put pressure on the quarterback, Jordan Love carved up Chicago's secondary.
Despite that, Poles decided to go with Taylor. Don't get it wrong, though, Taylor could be a generational talent at punter. He has a booming leg and great accuracy. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt in 2023. That was the highest average in NCAA history. His 46.3 career average is the highest for a career. Moreover, he had the most punt yards in a single season with 4,479 yards. The only reason it was not higher was because he was punting a lot around mid-field.
Field position is very important in a game. Taylor can flip the field for the Bears. He can take it from the 20 or 30 and get it inside the opponent's 20. Also, he has great hangtime on his punts. Of his 93 punts in 2023, he had 29 fair catches. These are areas where current starting punter Trenton Gill has struggled in his two seasons.
While Taylor is a great punter Poles cold have waited longer and still gotten him. That was especially highlighted when we saw what Poles did later in the draft. It looks like Poles will try to find a veteran edge rusher to help Sweat.
Round 5, #144 Overall: Austin Booker, DE, Kansas -- B
Just when we thought the Chicago Bears were done with the draft Poles pulls off a trade to get back into it. It wouldn't be a real draft without at least one Poles trade, right?
Poles acquires his original fifth-round pick from the Buffalo Bills to acquire the pick. In return, he sent a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Bills. With that pick, he selected the edge rusher people wanted him to pick up. He went after Kansas defensive end Austin Booker.
Some thought this was a head-scratcher of a move. Booker has enormous talent. He has the length at 6-foot-5, 34-inch arms, and 81.5-inch wingspan. He has to bulk up a little more than the 240 pounds he currently weighs, though. He is also supremely athletic.
Some may question why Poles would go for Booker when he lacks experience. He has only 18 games under his belt, with only one sole start. In his career, he has played only 505 snaps.
Despite that, Booker put on an incredible game film. He has a variety of moves that someone with that few games should have. His explosivess off the snap is elite. He does a great job of putting his arms up quickly so he can bat balls down. Additionally, he has good block recognition and does a great job of getting out of it. Despite his weight, he is still a physical player. Once he gains some weight he will be even stronger.
The Bears get a B score here but in a season or two, Booker could be the steal of the draft. While he is still inexperienced, he already has shown on tape some elite play. Some scouts even gave him a third-round grade. His comparison is Maxx Crosby. That is high praise. We could be looking back and grading Chicago an A for this selection.