Bears mock draft following Kevin Byard deal. Poles loads up at WR, DE

Bears mock draft following Kevin Byard deal. Poles loads up at WR, DE originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

NFL free agency still doesn’t officially open for a few more days, but the Bears have already made a move that could impact their 2024 draft plans. On Sunday, the team announced they had reached an agreement with All-Pro safety Kevin Byard. GM Ryan Poles filled a big hole on the roster by adding Byard. With only five picks in his pocket for the upcoming draft (as things stand), Poles may have also moved safety down his draft priority list (if he doesn’t add more picks between now and the end of April).

Accordingly, here’s a mock draft where Poles eschews the safety position in favor of addressing other positions of need. As always, this mock draft is not an attempt to predict what the Bears will actually do when they’re back in the War Room next offseason. That’s impossible. Nor is it meant as a recommendation of what the Bears should do. This mock draft is meant to be a fun way to discuss wild ideas, dig into some of the intriguing college prospects this season, and project how those players may fit in Chicago.

NO. 1: CALEB WILLIAMS – QUARTERBACK – USCWe’ve known for a long time that Williams is as good of a prospect as any in recent memory. There are practically no flaws in his game and he can make every throw on the field. But the Bears got to know Williams personally for the first time last week. Character matters a lot to them. If they like Williams as a person, they’ll pick him at the top of the draft. If they find red flags there’s a chance they trade the pick away and select someone else. But that feels unlikely at this point.

For all our coverage on the QB phenom, click here.

TRADE! BEARS SEND NO. 9 PICK, 2025 SIXTH-ROUND TO BRONCOS IN EXCHANGE FOR NOS. 12, 76 PICKS, 2025 THIRD-ROUNDER.By the time the Bears are back on the clock Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze and Brock Bowers are all off the board. Without the opportunity to add one of the top-shelf pass catchers, the Bears move back a few spots and add a third-round pick in the process.

NO. 12: JARED VERSE – EDGE – FLORIDA STATEVerse was not the most consistently productive pass rusher this year (4.5 sacks over first 11 games, 4.5 sacks over last two games), but he beat his man at a great clip throughout the year (21.8% pass rush win rate). Verse also showed off a great blend of speed and power at the NFL Combine. His 4.58 second 40-yard dash ranked fourth among all defensive ends. His 7.31 second three-cone drill ranked third. Verse topped all defensive ends with 31 bench press reps. Those traits should play even better when lined up opposite Montez Sweat on the defensive line.

TRADE! BEARS SEND JUSTIN FIELDS TO PATRIOTS IN EXCHANGE FOR NOS. 68, 192 PICKS.The Patriots opted to draft Harrison Jr. with the No. 3 overall pick instead of a QB, and send a third-rounder and sixth-rounder to the Bears for Fields instead. For all the talk of the Bears recouping a second-round pick for Fields early in the year, recent reports suggest the market is not as robust as many assumed.

NO. 68: BRENDAN RICE – WIDE RECEIVER – USCThis pick begins a stretch of three selections in eight spots that will fill out important slots on the Bears roster. Poles begins by pairing Williams with one of his receivers from SC. Rice joined the Trojans last season and caught 45 passes for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s 6’3”, which complements DJ Moore’s 5’11” frame well. Like his dad, Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, Brendan was one of the more sure-handed receivers in college last year, with just a 4.3% drop rate per PFF. Rice is also considered to be one of the most advanced route runners in the class by draft experts.

NO. 75: AUSTIN BOOKER – DEFENSIVE END – KANSASEven with Verse in tow, the Bears could stand to add more rotational pass rushers. The best defensive lines come at their opponents in waves, with a second unit that can maintain pressure while the starters take a breather to stay fresh for the fourth quarter. With Verse in tow, the Bears can also afford to draft a player with little experience, but upside to develop into an impact player. Booker only started one game for the Jayhawks last year, but still managed to notch eight sacks, 12 TFL and two forced fumbles in a reserve role. He shows great instincts when diagnosing a play and never gives up in pursuit. Booker’s equally effective defending the run as he is rushing the quarterback, which is a must for the Bears too.

NO. 76: XAVIER WORTHY – WIDE RECEIVER – TEXASThe Bears double dip at wide receiver right after they double dip at DE. Worthy grabbed headlines when he set a Combine record with a 4.21 second 40-yard dash. He grabbed plenty of touchdowns for the Longhorns in his three seasons there, too. Across 39 games at Texas, Worthy made 26 touchdown catches. Although his scoring dipped in 2023 when AD Mitchell came to town, his other numbers went up with a career-high 75 receptions and 1,014 receiving yards. He’s a legit speed demon who should have no problem producing as second (or really third) fiddle in the offense. If there’s a knock on Worthy, it’s his size (165 lbs.) and his penchant for drops (7.1% drop rate at Texas, per PFF).

NO. 109: CADE STOVER – TIGHT END – OHIO STATENew Bears OC Shane Waldron likes to use two tight end sets and could use a pure pass catcher at the position given Cole Kmet’s development as an in-line blocker. Stover fits the bill. He’s a high “Relative Athletic Score” player, which indicates great athletic ability. The Buckeyes used Stover in the slot over 40% of the time across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which is where the Bears could use him, too. Over that same time, Stover caught 77 passes for 982 yards and 10 touchdowns. If the team lets him focus on pass catching rather than the intricacies of the position, some of that production could translate to the pro game more quickly than other young tight ends enjoy.

NO. 121: COOPER BEEBE – GUARD – KANSAS STATEThe Bears added Ryan Bates presumably to compete for the starting center job, or at the very least add depth to the interior of the line. Regardless, the Bears could still stand to add more players to the group. Injuries happen on the line every year, and last season when Teven Jenkins or Nate Davis went down the Bears backups weren’t up to snuff. Beebe is an athletic lineman– an absolute must for Poles. His unofficial Relative Athletic Score is a 9.49 out of 10. That’s elite. Further, Beebe has experience playing every position on the offensive line except for center. That’s invaluable. In 49 games dating back to 2020, Beebe only surrendered five sacks and 35 pressures per PFF. He won Big-12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

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