The Buffalo Bills made headlines this past week when they shipped Pro-Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans for a 2025 second-round pick. While the Texans are potentially offering a blueprint to the Bears of what could happen if Caleb Williams proves to be the guy during his rookie season, the Bills could have a direct impact on the Bears during the 2024 NFL Draft.
By all accounts, the Bears may be planning on keeping the ninth overall selection in the draft with the goal of taking either an offensive tackle, defensive end, or wide receiver.
There is a chance that one of the three top wide receivers available--Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr, or Rome Odunze--will be on the board when the Bears make their second selection in the first round. Chances are that wide receiver would be Odunze and that would create a dynamic rookie pairing for the team's offense.
One of the prevailing thoughts after the Bills' decision to trade Diggs has been that Buffalo may be aiming for a trade-up to select one of the three prominent wide receivers. What would be interesting to see play out is if a wide receiver like Odunze is available when the Atlanta Falcons are on the board at No. 8, could the Bills attempt to jump ahead of the Bears?
The Buffalo Bills could be a trade down option for the Chicago Bears.
If not, the Bills may be the true test in determining how much Ryan Poles values late-round selections. The Bears have no selection after the fourth round but if the team were to trade down with the Bills, the team would likely be able to recoup multiple picks in the later rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The fascination with receiving "hauls" is one that sounds good while completing your 100th mock draft but is one that is flawed--especially if the decision includes the team passing on a blue-chip player that is on the board. If Odunze, or the two other wide receivers, are on the board when the Bears are selecting at No. 9, the decision is simple, make the pick.