As the NFL Draft approaches, so does the thrill of many NFL fans, hoping that their team drafts their next franchise player. This is especially the case with the 2024 NFL Draft, a draft loaded with talent on both sides of the football. The Bears currently own the number one and the number nine overall pick in the first round of the draft, putting them in a prime position to draft not one, but two potential franchise players. Without question, the Bears will draft USC Quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick. Caleb is a generational quarterback prospect with a skill set comparable to Kansas City Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who, when it’s all said and done, will be one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game of football.
With the number one overall pick unanimously decided, there lies a big question mark at the number nine overall pick. Given the number of talented prospects, the Bears shouldn’t have a problem finding a player who can immediately and positively impact the team. However, the best choice for the Bears at nine would be to draft an edge rusher.
At the beginning of the 2023 NFL Season, the Bears struggled to find consistent play with their defense. That changed when the Bears traded for Defensive End Montez Sweat at the trade deadline. Sweat completely transformed the Bears’ defense, going from 28th to 20th in points allowed, 23rd to 12th in yards allowed, 23rd to 2nd in takeaways, and went from recording ten sacks in the first eight games to eleven in the remaining games after Sweat arrived. Head Coach Matt Eberflus should also be credited for helping change the defense, as when he took over play-calling duties, the Bears’ defense improved significantly. Nonetheless, Sweat’s arrival elevated the defense. He remains the only notable part of the Bears pass rush, and if they paired up another edge rusher on the other side, this defense could perform similarly to the 2018 Bears defense.
The Bears haven’t a noteworthy edge rusher opposite Montez Sweat, and adding a potential cornerstone through the draft would elevate the one aspect of the Bears’ defense that is lacking. There are two intriguing prospects that the Bears can snatch at nine: Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner and UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu. Latu is coming off his best collegiate season with 13 sacks in 12 games. Latu is a pass-rushing demon who would immediately improve the Bears’ pass rush tenfold. However, Turner is an athletic freak, who possesses explosiveness at the same level as the NFL’s top pass rushers. Turner entered the draft coming off last season as team captain with 10 sacks in 14 games and 14.5 TFL. Turner is much less polished in terms of technique than Latu, although Latu doesn’t have the same athletic ability as Turner does.
With all the talented prospects in the upcoming draft, the Bears should have no trouble finding two franchise players in whichever position they play. It is on GM Ryan Poles and HC Matt Eberflus to determine which position needs that franchise player, and there is little doubt that they are contemplating taking an edge rusher.
