• Round 1, Pick 4: WR Malik Nabers, LSU (via trade with the Washington Commanders) — Nabers moves differently from his peers. He has an incredible ability to continue to speed up while changing directions, and that has made him a separation artist. The 6-foot, 200-pound receiver earned a 93.5 PFF receiving grade this season, the highest mark in the nation.
• Round 1, Pick 5: EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama — At 6-foot-4, 252 pounds, Turner has the best combination of athletic ability and pass-rush traits of any edge prospect in this class. He has a great first step that he pairs with a strong long-arm move.
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The Chicago Bears could have quite the decision on their hands by the time the 2024 NFL Draft rolls around. Right now, quarterback Justin Fields is playing well and trending in the right direction. Yet, the Bears currently hold the No. 1 overall pick due to their trade with the Carolina Panthers last offseason.
Could they trade the No. 1 pick again? Here’s a five-round mock draft for Chicago to see what life could look like if the team stuck with Fields and moved off the top pick again.
Round 1, Pick 4: WR Malik Nabers, LSU (VIA TRADE WITH THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS)
If the Bears were to explore a potential move down, the Washington Commanders make sense as a trade partner. The Commanders are currently in the fourth spot of the 2024 draft and could be in for some big changes to their front office and coaching staff following the team's recent ownership change.
That could all lead to Washington wanting to make a splash at quarterback. Trade prices for top draft picks are always subjective, but for this, I imagine it’s at least two first-round picks with more future later-round picks sprinkled in.
As for who the Bears would get at No. 4 if they traded down, LSU receiver Malik Nabers would be my target. Nabers moves differently from his peers. He has an incredible ability to continue to speed up while changing directions, and that has made him a separation artist. The 6-foot, 200-pound receiver earned a 93.5 PFF receiving grade this season, the highest mark in the nation. He would be an immediate impact player in the Chicago offense.
Round 1, Pick 5: EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama
If the Bears still have two picks in the top 10 when all is said and done, they should use one to draft an edge rusher. The trade for Montez Sweat is looking better by the day, but it takes an army to field a truly disruptive front seven in the NFL.
At 6-foot-4, 252 pounds, Turner has the best combination of athletic ability and pass-rush traits of any edge prospect in this class. He has a great first step that he pairs with a strong long-arm move, and he also has good bend to threaten the outside shoulder consistently. He posted a 20.3% pass-rush win percentage in 2023, showing how often he can win one-on-one.
Round 3, Pick 69: S Rod Moore, Michigan
Moore missed the first few games of the 2023 college football season due to injury, but he returned to his productive ways as the year went on. The 6-foot, 200-pound safety grabbed two interceptions and two forced incompletions this season and tallied four interceptions and four forced incompletions last season.
The Bears could move on from Eddie Jackson in 2024, and Moore could be a good replacement if they don’t fill that safety spot in free agency.
Round 4, Pick105: WR Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
Corley is one of those unique, fan-favorite receivers for the 2024 class. His specialty is his yards-after-catch ability, as he showcases great strength and balance for yards after contact.
As a former cornerback (and even running back), he is still green to the nuances of playing receiver. His routes and releases aren’t as precise as they are for other receivers in the class, but that stuff can be taught. You can’t teach the kind of mentality he naturally has as a playmaker after the catch.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder has averaged 9.2 yards after the catch per reception over the last two years, generating 0.33 Wins Above Average (WAA), one of the highest marks for any receiver in the class. A creative offensive coordinator should covet him.
Round 4, Pick 128: C Seth McLaughlin, Alabama
McLaughlin is a former four-star center recruit who has started at center for the Crimson Tide over the last two seasons. His grades dipped in 2023, with his run-blocking (72.2) and pass-blocking grades (75.0) from 2022 falling to 63.3 and 61.3.
He’s a good, experienced run-blocker with good hand placement and consistent leverage when trying to move guys off a spot.
Round 5, Pick 142: T Javon Foster, Missouri
Forster has been one of the most steady and productive offensive tackles we have graded over the last few years. He has earned overall grades of 80.9, 80.3 and 84.0 in the last three seasons he has started.
He checks the size boxes at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds. He's not quite the athlete some of the other offensive tackle prospects are, both from a movement skill and strength perspective, but he has good arm length and plenty of experience to be a good depth offensive lineman.
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