Bears Expected to Pass on Edge, O-Line Preferring Prestigious WR at No.9

The Chicago Bears have had an incredible offseason thus far and still haven’t selected two players in the top nine picks of the forthcoming NFL draft.

It’s official now: the Bears will select a quarterback at the first pick, most likely USC’s Jacob Williams. The biggest unanswered issue for the Bears this spring may be who Chicago will select at No. 9.

On Saturday, March 23, ESPN’s Matt Miller made the following prediction: the Bears will choose Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze in that spot. The forecast is intriguing in light of the fact that Chicago just acquired Pro Bowler Keenan Allen for a fourth-round pick from the Los Angeles Chargers, where he will partner with DJ Moore, another deserving No. 1 target.

Miller added, “I like Braxton Jones on a rookie deal for two more seasons, but the Bears could consider a left tackle here.” “With the No. 1 pick in this scenario, Odunze would be our new Chicago quarterback, providing elite targets for Allen and DJ Moore.”

The Bears’ selection with the ninth pick may be determined by Keenan Allen’s extension in Chicago. 

Not only is the class of 2024 quarterback possibilities the best in recent memory, but the wide receiver group is also very good.

If the Arizona Cardinals don’t trade back with a team that needs a quarterback, such as the Minnesota Vikings, Miller and his colleagues at ESPN believe that Marvin Harrison Jr. will be selected by the team with the fourth pick. Malik Nabers of LSU is another player with a strong chance to go early; the Los Angeles Chargers are predicted to select him at No. 5 in the same ESPN mock draft.

This group of receivers is talented enough to give the Bears a legitimate chance to select the third choice overall at No. 9, something that wouldn’t ordinarily be the case at any position other than quarterback. The prospect of choosing Odunze becomes more likely because Chicago has not yet offered Allen a new contract extension.

In 2023, Allen excelled and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time in the previous seven years. According to Pro Football Reference, he accomplished this by recording 108 receptions for 1,243 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in just 13 games played.

For the Bears, extending Allen makes sense since it would lower his 2024 salary cap amount while also increasing the value of the fourth-round pick they received in exchange for him over several seasons. Allen’s age—he will be 32 when he plays next season—as well as his injury history raise concerns about that course of action. Over the last two seasons, the wideout’s injuries have caused him to miss a total of 11 regular-season games.

Jared Verse, an edge rusher, may be the Bears’ ninth-round NFL Draft choice.

In the event that Chicago and Allen are unable to come to a multiyear contract, Odunze would seem to be a good long-term option for Williams, or whoever the Bears choose with the first overall pick, in addition to Moore. Although picking a left tackle or edge defender would allow the organization to fill a need with a quality player on a rookie contract, Odunze might still be Chicago’s pick at No. 9 if Allen does end up signing a contract.

The Bears will select pass-rusher Jared Verse, who will be the second defensive player off the board in Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft, according to Kiper Jr. of ESPN.

“I would have advised the Bears to make every effort to acquire one of the top three wideouts in this class prior to the deal for Keenan Allen. It’s not needed anymore,” Kiper wrote on March 19. Even though I wasn’t a huge fan of Verse’s 2023 tape, his testing results at the combine were remarkable. There were instances when he was too erratic. However, if he can put everything together, the 6-foot-4, 254-pound player has all the traits necessary to be a destructive pass-rusher at the next level.