NEWSLETTER
The 2024 NFL Draft is OVAH!
All 257 picks are in the books.
Here are the picks made by Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles and the rest of his staff:
Bears Draft Picks Night 1
Round 1, Pick 1: Caleb Williams, Southern California quarterback
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I’m not even sure what is left to write about Caleb Williams at this point. Williams arrives in Chicago as the most talented quarterback prospect this franchise has ever gotten its hands on — ever. With all due respect to Jim McMahon, Justin Fields, Jim Harbaugh, Mitch Trubisky, and countless others, Williams is on a prospect tier above all others. And that is one of the many things that makes this pick so much fun. I’m so ready to see how it plays out.
Round 1, Pick 9: Rome Odunze, Washington wide receiver
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Odunze is an outstanding ball tracker, and he’s able to create separation late in his route with shoulder bumps or subtle push-offs. He has excellent body control and balance, capable of jumping and spinning to catch the ball before landing and continuing to run downfield. Odunze catches the ball outside of his body and is highly effective in contested catch situations. He frequently overpowers or boxes out opponents to give himself leverage at the catch point. Odunze is also skilled at running through arm tackles after the catch, and he’s often used on screen plays, where he can weave his way through traffic to gain significant yardage.
Bears Draft Picks Night 2
Round 3, Pick 75: Kiran Amegadjie, Yale offensive tackle
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I’m #NotAScout, but I love the tandem of athleticism and size. Offensive line prospects who are 6-5 and 323 pounds with 36 1/8-inch arms don’t grow on trees. Considering that Bears GM Ryan Poles bet on size and traits with the Braxton Jones pick back in 2022, I’m willing to give him some leeway with this selection, too.
Bears Draft Picks Day 3
Round 4, Pick 122: Tory Taylor, Iowa punter
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The University of Iowa product was a Unanimous All-American in 2023 and a two-time first-team All-Big Ten punter. No one has punted for more yards in a single season than Taylor’s 4,479 yards in 2023. And there is no punter who has put up a higher career average than his 46.3 yards per punt. Taylor was an asset for the Hawkeyes and figures to be one for the Bears.
Round 5, Pick 144: Austin Booker, Kansas defensive end
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Booker earned first-team All-Big 12 status in 2023 and was awarded the conference’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year for his efforts. A transfer from the University of Minnesota, Booker made the most of his one season at KU racking up 8 sacks and 12 tackles-for-loss in 12 games. You’d think that type of production would have led him to go earlier in the draft. It didn’t. But perhaps the Bears have found a diamond-in-the-rough here.
All in all, this wasn’t a shabby draft for the Bears. They didn’t do something mind-numbingly stupid like trade away the most valuable future draft picks or anything else that would’ve made you question your fandom. On the surface, I count that as a net win. At a minimum, I’ll sleep easier tonight knowing that Chicago’s football team didn’t embarrass itself on draft weekend.
If you think we’re done, I’ve got some news for you. The NFL offseason continues to churn. Undrafted free agent signings for the Bears are about to come down the pipeline. And we’ll dig into those soon enough. But right now, it is time for a meal. Which meal? I don’t know just yet. But I feel like I deserve a good one after wrapping up our eighth NFL Draft weekend as BN Bears.
