The article How Bears’ selection at No. 9 overall could be impacted by the order of first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft first aired on NBC Sports Chicago.
Though the 2024 NFL Draft has a few hours to go, we already know what will happen to the Bears’ first-round selection. In really, we have known for a while. All signs point to Caleb Williams being chosen by general manager Ryan Poles to replace quarterback Trent Richardson when the draft finally begins on Thursday. But after that, things become more hazy.
The Bears’ next selection might come at No. 9, depending on what happens with the picks in between. This is the complete draft order for the initial round.
- Bears (via CAR)
- Commanders
- Patriots
- Cardinals
- Chargers
- Giants
- Titans
- Falcons
- Bears
- Jets
- Vikings
- Broncos
- Raiders
- Saints
- Colts
- Seahawks
- Jaguars
- Bengals
- Rams
- Steelers
- Dolphins
- Eagles
- Vikings (via CLE)
- Cowboys
- Packers
- Buccaneers
- Cardinals (via HOU)
- Bills
- Lions
- Ravens
- 49ers
- Chiefs
- With the ninth overall pick, the Bears have a few choices to choose from. One may argue that selecting a pass rusher, offensive tackle, and wide receiver in the first round would benefit the team in the long run. Additionally, a trade down or a trade up could be considered. There are a lot of options, and the team’s choice may ultimately hinge on what transpires in front of them as well as the desperation of the teams behind them. The clubs in front of the Bears should come first. If quarterbacks are selected in the top three spots, the Cardinals’ selection at No. 4 might be a significant turning point. They may decide to remain put and select one of the “big three” wide receivers, or they can decide to return to a team that needs a quarterback. From there, an offensive tackle or wide receiver might be selected by the Chargers, Giants, or Titans. The Falcons are another team that many believe will be the first to remove a defensive player from the field. Let’s say a big run on quarterbacks and offensive tackles occurs. In that scenario, an elite receiver could be left for the Bears, and they might jump at the chance to pair Williams with a playmaker for the duration of their careers. By adding Keenan Allen earlier this offseason to line up alongside DJ Moore, the Bears have ensured Williams will have two excellent WRs to target. But Allen turns 32 later this month and will likely only play in Chicago for a handful of seasons– if he signs a contract extension with the team. Maybe Poles views this as an opportunity for the team to set up their offense for the long term?What if the top shelf wide receivers are all gone by the time the Bears pick again, but a left tackle they covet is there? We know the Bears value building out the trenches given Poles’ and assistant GM Ian Cunningham’s OL pedigrees, so it shouldn’t be a huge surprise if the team opts to bolster the unit.
Or perhaps the Bears have an extremely high grade on a pass rusher who is still on the board, while their top offensive prospects are gone? If there’s one guy they have circled as a force-multiplier on the defensive line, graded significantly better than the rest of the class, they could use the opportunity to add him and keep the defense on its upward trajectory from last year.
There’s also a world in which every blue-chip player on the Bears board is gone by the time they pick. Or maybe only three quarterbacks get drafted among the top-eight picks and a QB-needy team gets antsy to make a move. In both of those cases, Poles could get on the phone and offer up the No. 9 pick to the highest bidder in the hopes of recouping a second or third-rounder. The Vikings, Broncos, Raiders and maybe even the Jets or Saints could be thinking about their next quarterback, and could be interested in making a deal with the Bears.
This is the draft order now, but things can change at any point between now and the start of the draft. When the picks start coming on Thursday night, more draft-day trades will filter in, too. And everything that happens from the No. 2 pick to No. 8 will affect what happens with the Bears’ No. 9 pick.
