The Bears made their first big move in a franchise-defining offseason on Tuesday when they officially announced Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator.
With Waldron, the Bears are getting a bright, creative playmaker with deep roots in the Shanahan tree. Waldron served as offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks for the past three seasons. He comes to Chicago with playing experience, a track record of maximizing his personnel and a proven ability to make explosive plays.
Waldron's arrival doesn't give the Bears any indication of their impending quarterback decision, but Waldron will play an important role in retaining Justin Fields or signing Caleb Williams.
With a new OC, here is our Insider Mock Draft Version 1.1. It still only goes through the first three rounds, but has some minor changes from 1.0.
ROUND 1 (No. 1 overall): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
I could come up with a massive trade that would allow the Bears to make a move and keep Fields, but that wouldn't fit with the very early winds that are blowing. That would be a waste of time for everyone.
I have a hard time seeing one of my mock drafts not start with Williams. Fields has improved as a passer, but not enough to warrant a quarterback everyone in the NFL has dreamed of since he burst onto the scene as a rookie at Oklahoma.
“He’s a generational talent,” one NFC scout told NBC Sports Chicago. “You don’t make her like him. What Caleb Williams can do – that probably only happens once every 20 or 30 years. If you're lucky enough to have that lottery ticket, you don't give it away.” “
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner scored a total of 120 touchdowns in three seasons. His off-schedule wizardry reminds some of Patrick Mahomes, including former Texas Tech head coach and current USC analyst Kliff Kingsbury. He has excellent field vision, accuracy and the ability of his arms to throw coins into tight windows.
He's too good and his ceiling is too high to pass up.
Round 1 (No. 9 overall): Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
I got the Bears to take Odunze in my first attempt, and signing Waldron makes me even more confident that general manager Ryan Poles will give his new OC (and probably his new QB) an elite pick early in the draft. Playmaker will get.
Odunze will likely rise as the pre-draft process continues. I wouldn't be surprised if the Los Angeles Chargers or New York Giants snag him at five or six.
But for now I'll stay here with Odunze.
The Washington product is an elite route runner who dominates defensive backs at the catch point. He is a physical receiver who uses his body well in 50-50 situations and has the quickness and volatility to rack up yards after the catch.
“I know everyone is in love with her [Marvin Harrison Jr.], but I think there's a good argument that Odunze is the best receiver in this class,” an AFC scout told NBC Sports Chicago. “I think with his size, speed, fluidity, explosiveness and physicality he is the complete package.”
TRADE!
Bears receive: 2024 second-round pick (No. 52), 2024 third-round pick (No. 84), 2025 fourth-round pick
Steelers receive: Justin Fields, 2024 fifth-round pick
After drafting Williams, the Bears find a suitor for Fields. The Steelers are coming off a season in which they made the playoffs despite a terrible offense with limited production from quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph.
The Steelers get a possible long-term solution to their quarterback problem and the Bears get some much-needed capital for Day 2. (It would have been nice if the Steelers had been the first to apologize for robbing Chase Claypool, but there was nothing in it. )
Round 2 (No. 52): Chris Braswell, EDGE, Alabama
Washington's Bralen Trice would be the ideal opponent for Montez Sweat, but he and Chop Robinson likely won't be around at this point.
But that's okay.
The Bears get Braswell, who has less hype but may be a better pro than teammate Dallas Turner.
Braswell is an explosive pass rusher with great strength and physicality. The Alabama product has a motor that never stops and his bull rush will be a weapon on day one of the NFL.
Braswell lacks the ideal length of a dominant edge rusher, but he should be productive opposite Sweat.
According to Pro Football Focus, Braswell had 33 hurries, 13 sacks, 10 hits and an 18.2 percent pass rush win rate last season.
That's enough.
ROUND 3 (No. 75): Sedrick Van Pran, IOL, Georgia
It will be interesting to see how the top centers perform on day two of the draft.
Van Pran is at the top of the list, along with Oregon's Jackson Powers Johnson, West Virginia's Zach Frazier and Duke's Graham Barton (a tackle who could move inside in the NFL).
I think Powers Johnson will step up as the draft approaches and come off the board early in the second round. Frazier and Van Pran were both scheduled to compete on Day 2 as well, but the third round seems a more likely time for their elimination.
The Bears will love Van Pran's athleticism, lateral quickness, high football IQ and strength.
Waldron's wide-zone rushing attack fits perfectly with the offensive line the Bears started building for Luke Getsy, and Van Pran fits the mold of the type of lineman they need under center.
Van Pran's athleticism is remarkable in the running game. He has a quick first step that allows him to help on a double team or get to the second level.
In the Pass Pro, Van Pran's strength and IQ come into their own. He excels at handling and running off spins and stunts (something the Bears were terrible at last season), and his strength allows him to stop penetration into the A gap.
Center was a big problem for the Bears in 2023. With right tackle, right guard and left guard solved, the Bears round out the interior of their newly rebuilt offensive line with Van Pran, which puts all eyes on left tackle and the future of Braxton Jones.
Round 3 (No. 84): Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State
The Bears end their first two days by giving Waldron a big-body receiver to add to his arsenal.
By adding Wilson to Moore and Odunze, the Bears get a 6-foot-7 jump-ball threat with versatile alignment and a wide catch radius.
Wilson is great at using his size and frame to attack the ball on vertical routes. He has good speed and can be difficult to tackle in open terrain due to his size.
The Florida State product showed an inability to separate at times, leaving him reliant on 50/50 ball. He also had some problems with falls throughout his career.
The Bears traded for Chase Claypool because they wanted a big-bodied receiver whose size and physicality would be a weapon on third down and in the red zone. Claypool is out, but the Bears can fill that void with Wilson and set Williams and Waldron up for success in 2024.
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