NEWSLETTER
The pre-draft buildup continues and the Chicago Bears have a bunch of hot-shot prospects coming to town for visits.
A pair of wide receivers are among the most notable with NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reporting that LSU star wideout Malik Nabers is scheduled to take a trip to Halas Hall on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Kevin Fishbain (The Athletic) mentions the Bears are set to meet with Ohio State standout Marvin Harrison Jr. on Monday. Also worth pointing out from Fishbain is that UCLA edge defender Laiatu Latu and Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy are also set for visits at Halas Hall. I’ll write those up for discussion tomorrow. For now, I want to focus in on the two high-profile wide receivers.
One might think it is wasteful to add a receiver such as Malik Nabers or Marvin Harrison Jr. via the upcoming NFL Draft because the team just upgraded at wide receiver by swinging a trade for Pro Bowl wideout Keenan Allen. But the allure of adding another talented wideout to fuel a high-octane offense is tempting as heck. Especially if it is one of those two players getting drafted and coming to Chicago.
Bears continue to host top NFL Draft prospects for visits
I could gush about Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers as Bears fits from sunrise to sunset. We’ve been dreaming about Chicago’s football team adding a high-profile wide receiver prospect via the NFL Draft since well before the order was settled. Because once we realized the Bears were going to get at least one top-10 pick via the Carolina Panthers, it became easy to dream on the Bears adding someone like Nabers or MHJ to this offense. Now that is sounds like it will be Caleb Williams, I find the idea even more enticing — especially when the choices could be Nabers, Harrison Jr., or Rome Odunze (who already visited Halas Hall).
Malik Nabers is one of my favorite draft-eligible prospects and would be a fan favorite if he lands on the Bears on Night 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. The LSU product was a unanimous All-American selection and first-team All-SEC performer in 2023. Last season, Nabers put up an impressive season for the LSU Tigers with 89 receptions, 1,569 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns. His 2022 campaign wasn’t all that shabby in its own right. Nabers caught 72 passes for 1,017 yards in 2022. And while he didn’t score as many touchdowns (3) in 2022 as he did in 2023, Nabers certainly made the most of his time linking up with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels.
We’ve been discussing Nabers as a Bears first-round fit since December. And while his blazing 4.35-second 40-yard dash time might’ve put him out of Chicago’s range at No. 9, stranger things have happened. In other words, I’ll monitor this situation with great interest.
Bears are a perfect landing spot for Malik Nabers or Marvin Harrison Jr. in the 2024 NFL Draft, but there’s a but…
The same can be said about Marvin Harrison Jr. as he prepares for an upcoming visit to Chicago. Because if you don’t love any of the quarterbacks, then the odds are Marvin Harrison Jr. is your No. 1 overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft class. And in a draft class without four quarterbacks who are expected to go with the first four picks, maybe Harrison Jr. does go first overall. He is such a fascinating prospect.
Marvin Harrison Jr., the son of NFL legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, has been a star on a meteoric rise since debuting at Ohio State. MHJ is a two-time unanimous All-American, two-time first-team All-Big Ten performer, and two-time Big Ten Receiver of the Year award winner. Harrison Jr. was also the winner of the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year award and Chicago Tribune Silver Football, a trophy that is given to the Big Ten’s best player. In 2023, MHJ caught 67 passes for 1,211 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns. The year prior, he snagged 77 receptions, racked up 1,263 receiving yards, and scored another 14 touchdowns.
I’m going to need a bigger thesaurus in order to come up with the most fitting superlatives to describe Marvin Harrison Jr.’s college career and properly contextualize his prospect buzz.
With all of that being said, I can’t ignore the big “but” here.
Because while Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr. are both (1) awesome prospects and (2) great fits for the Bears, there is a real possibility that neither are available who the Bears go on the clock with the No. 9 pick. As NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport points out, Chicago isn’t the only city on the upcoming Nabers meet-and-greet tour. Among the other visits Nabers has planned for this week is with the Tennessee Titans, who own the No. 7 pick. The Titans could use this leverage to orchestrate a trade with the Bears (especially if Tennessee would rather take an offensive lineman and pick up some extra draft capital for its troubles).
As for Harrison, he could go as early as No. 3 to the New England Patriots if they decide to kick the can down the road on the quarterback decision. But if New England goes with a quarterback with the third pick, the Arizona Cardinals or Los Angeles Chargers could be possible landing spots for Harrison. Frankly, you wouldn’t have to pitch me hard on trading up to take Marvin Harrison Jr. — but that feels like a different conversation that is worth its own post.
MORE: The Chicago Bears Dream Scenario for the 2024 NFL Draft
In the end, I hope folks at the Bears facilities spent the weekend tidying up and are ready to put their best foot forward ahead of their hosting duties. Some important guests are coming to town!
