Mock Draft: Bears trade Justin Fields, add explosive amount of offensive fire power
The Chicago Bears select Caleb Williams with the first pick in the draft
With Justin Fields shipped off to Atlanta, it only makes sense for the Chicago Bears to draft a quarterback with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Had they kept fields, this pick would have been traded for a haul similar, if not greater than, to what Ryan Poles received last year from Carolina. The compensation would have obviously been dependent on how far down the Bears move.
It is well-known that I am a Justin Fields supporter and I also am a Ryan Poles supporter. Poles is where most of my support relies though and I am going to trust in his process when it comes to making a decision at the quarterback position. I also am not privy to the draft and/or player compensation he might be offered to trade down from one to whatever. In this scenario though, Poles moved Fields for a top-10, first-round pick and settled on the quarterback with the highest ceiling in the draft.
The 2023 season did not age as well as Caleb Williams would have liked. He struggled against a strong Notre Dame defense. After that game, it seemed as if defenses figured Williams out. The USC Trojans lost four of their last five games. Those losses were not all on Williams though as the Trojans averaged 34 points per game. It's obvious that Williams isn't as much of a slam dunk as we once thought, but he still has elite attributes.
Williams has the arm strength and ability to make every throw. He has a quicker release than Justin Fields, even though he does hold onto the ball too long at times. Williams can escape the pocket and make off-script plays, although I wouldn't put him in the same tier as Fields in this category. Williams has shown an ability to throw with timing and better anticipation than Fields as a prospect — only time will tell if that translates to the NFL.
If the Chicago Bears decide to go with Williams, his ceiling is higher than Fields at this point. I have to think his floor as a passer is higher than Fields too, but he isn't nearly as athletic and will not be able to make the same type of plays with his legs as Fields. This draft would be considered a reset (rookie QBs typically struggle), but since the team is being built up, this isn't a typical poor situation for Williams to step into. Let's see what Ryan Poles does with his other two top-10 picks, shall we?