With the 2023 NFL regular season winding down, some fanbases have already turned their attention to the 2024 NFL Draft. According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Chicago Bears have a 95.7% chance to secure the No. 1 overall pick, thanks to the offseason trade that netted them the Carolina Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick. Carolina is the worst team in the league at 2-13, meaning Chicago will likely have the top pick in the draft for the second season in a row.
General manager Ryan Poles will have an interesting decision to make with that top pick. Does he again sell it to the highest bidder? Or does he take a quarterback to replace Justin Fields? Many believe the top quarterback in this class is Caleb Williams out of USC, and Bears fans have already embraced the debate concerning if he’s the future of the franchise, or if it’s someone else.
Christmas Eve, one Chicago sports fan posted on social media that the Bears should draft Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., and keep Fields at quarterback. The USC signal-caller was tagged in the post, saw it, and “liked” it.
While some will automatically assume this means Williams does not want to be drafted by Chicago, that’s not fair. The star quarterback could be keeping receipts on Bears fans who don’t want him, or of those who think Harrison would be the better selection. It could be any number of things.
Williams was the 2022 Heisman Trophy winer, and a Unanimous All-American last season. The 2023 campaign wasn’t as kind to him, but Williams still threw for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions while the Trojans went 7-5.
As of now, all three of our CBS Sports NFL Draft experts have Williams going No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft, but not all have him going to Bears.