The Chicago Bears were widely seen as winners of the 2024 NFL Draft when they made two top-10 selections.
However, now that we’re a year removed, most outlets have the team going in a different direction with both picks in their re-draft scenarios, including a recent Sports Illustrated article that re-drafted the entire first round.
Chicago Bears make different selections in 2024 re-draft
In SI’s re-draft, the Bears selected Jayden Daniels first overall and Malik Nabers ninth. It’s amusing that the Bears still selected a quarterback and a wide receiver, but opted for different players at the same positions, despite Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze still available when they made the picks.
The Daniels vs. Williams debate continues to rage on, but most Bears fans remain firm that Williams’ struggles were largely due to his situation, and that rookie seasons don’t define a player’s future. Many fans would still prefer Williams over Daniels today.
The Nabers vs. Odunze question is much easier. If Nabers had been on the board at No. 9 in the actual draft, there’s little doubt the Bears would have taken him. This isn’t really a “miss,” but rather a reflection of how the board played out differently. In SI’s re-draft, Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. both went ahead of Nabers, and with Brian Thomas Jr. also going before him, Nabers fell to Chicago at No. 9 after going sixth in the actual draft.
The real “what-if” comes with Brian Thomas Jr., who went fourth overall in the re-draft. The Bears passed on him in the real draft and may have missed out. While the long game is still in play for Odunze, Thomas had an outstanding rookie season and displayed traits at LSU that hinted at this kind of success.
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What’s especially ironic is that Thomas, who was overshadowed by Nabers during their time together at LSU, is now going ahead of him in re-draft scenarios.