Chicago Bears NFL draft picks 2024: Full list of team's round-by-round selections
Here is a 2024 NFL draft pick-by-pick breakdown for the Chicago Bears:
Round 1 (No. 1 overall, from Panthers) — Caleb Williams, QB, USC: The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner has essentially appeared destined to be the top pick of this draft for about three years, following an impressive debut as a freshman with the University of Oklahoma. But the mystery evaporated entirely when the Bears traded former QB1 Justin Fields to Pittsburgh in March. Now Williams becomes the latest presumed savior for one of the league’s original franchises – one that’s never had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards or 30 TDs in its century-long-plus existence.
However, Williams, 22, Chicago’s first No. 1 pick of the common draft era, should certainly be the guy to hit those thresholds and more. His game has been (unfairly) compared to three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes’, though Williams – he measures 6-1, 214 pounds – self-identifies with four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers. Either way, he has elite arm talent and the ability to make off-platform throws with the highest degree of difficulty, very often a necessity with the depleted Trojans last season. He also possesses ample mobility, though will often scramble in a bid to extend his time to throw rather than just take off down the field. In two years at Southern California, he passed for 8,170 yards, 72 TDs and 10 INTs despite often having to improvise. Draft tracker
Round 1 (9) — Rome Odunze, WR, Washington: A first-rounder on the field and off of it, Chicago gets a blue-chip rookie receiver to pair with Caleb Williams. And the Bears, who have been busily building a proper supporting cast for Williams, were dangerously thin at wideout behind DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, who will be 32 by Week 1 and is only under contract for this season. Spectacular as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers are, plenty of proponents for Odunze, an All-American last year and All-Pac-12 member the past two. The 6-3, 212-pounder has a sterling off-field reputation plus the ball skills and production (92 catches, for 1,640 yards, 13 TDs in 2023) to be a co-WR1 with Moore in 2025 and beyond. Draft tracker
Round 3 (75) — Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale: Don't count the Ivy League background against him. He's got the athleticism to play in the NFL, but may need a redshirt year in order to calibrate to the competition. Draft tracker
Round 4 (122, from Eagles) — Tory Taylor, P, Iowa: True, Taylor was one of the best punters in the nation in 2023 at Iowa. He did notch a 67-yard punt for the Hawkeyes in their bowl game. But with limited selections, this seems like a waste of a resource for the Bears with players who could fill more needs still on the board. Draft tracker
Round 5 (144, from Bears through Bills) — Austin Booker, DE, Kansas: A trade back into Round 5 sees Chicago net one of the top value picks of the round. Booker has flashed potential despite starting just one game in college. He's an ascending talent who could thrive on a Bears defensive line featuring Montez Sweat. Draft tracker
Chicago Bears' recent top draft picks
2023 (No. 10 overall): Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
2022 (No. 39 overall): Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
2021 (No. 11 overall): Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
2020 (No. 43 overall): Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame
2019 (No. 73 overall): David Montgomery, RB, Iowa State
Previous drafts: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
2024 NFL draft: Every team's picks
NFC East: Commanders | Cowboys | Eagles | Giants
NFC South: Buccaneers | Falcons | Panthers | Saints
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago Bears NFL draft picks 2024: Round-by-round selections
