Top pick musings … A couple of thoughts related to the top pick overall at the 2024 draft. First, we haven’t really highlighted it, but Chicago is very close to wrapping up the top pick with still a month to go in the regular schedule. The Bears, of course, own Carolina’s pick courtesy of the 2023 draft trade that saw the Panthers move up to take QB Bryce Young with the #1 pick last year. And for the Bears to have any chance of not ending up with the #1 pick this coming April, Carolina, which is 1-12 and has lost 6 straight, would have to win 2 of its final 4 games and that’s assuming that both New England nor Arizona, which are currently sitting on the 2nd and 3rd picks respectively, both lose out the rest of the way. At the same time, with Chicago having won a couple straight there are some growing whispers that the Bears just might pass on taking a QB with the first pick next April and instead focus on building up the talent around incumbent starter Justin Fields who has played reasonably well during Chicago’s modest current win streak. At the same time, though, it is hard to imagine any NFL team without an established franchise QB – and while Fields is a good player with some tools he is far from an elite passer – passing on the opportunity to take an elite prospect at the position like Caleb Williams if they had the chance. Stay tuned! This could all get very interesting!
