2024 NFL Mock Draft: Bears take Caleb Williams at 1, so who makes sense at 9?

Caleb Williams, who met with the Bears on Wednesday, is the consensus top pick in the upcoming draft.

The Bears’ decision with the top pick in the NFL Draft next month seems clear: Teams will hound them with trade offers, but they’re best served to stay put and draft a rare prospect in USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

With so much attention on that franchise-altering move, their other first-round pick — No. 9 overall — often gets overlooked. But it’s hugely important. General manager Ryan Poles has fixed a lot of problems on the roster in the last two years, but some of the most crucial boxes remain unchecked.

The Bears still need help at three premium positions, other than quarterback: defensive end, wide receiver and offensive tackle. That means there’s essentially no wrong answer as Poles weighs the options at those spots with the No. 9 pick. And before that, he has the third-most salary-cap space in the NFL ($78.7 million) when free agency starts next Monday.

‘‘That’s where it gets real fun,’’ Poles told the Sun-Times last week when discussing matching resources with needs. ‘‘You have to overlap [the draft and free agency] and play a little bit of the odds in terms of where there’s supply and demand and who you can bring it in, what’s it gonna cost, the long-term ramifications of it.

‘‘There’s a reason why they’re called premium positions: They don’t grow on trees. We’re always looking for opportunities to bring in those guys, and they move the needle.’’

In this mock draft, the Bears address key needs with Williams at No. 1 and Washington receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9.

2024 NFL mock draft

1. Bears (via Panthers) — USC QB Caleb Williams
Poles will get monstrous trade offers for this pick, but Williams is too good to bypass. No one in this draft can unseat him from the top spot.

2. Commanders — LSU QB Jayden Daniels
Daniels’ upside rivals Williams, but he’s less developed so there’s more risk.

3. Cardinals (projected trade with Patriots) — Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison grew up in the NFL as the son of a Hall of Famer and is the surest thing talent-wise in the entire draft.

4. Patriots (projected trade with Cardinals) — North Carolina QB Drake Maye
The Patriots badly need a quarterback, enabling them to take calls for the No. 3 pick and add assets while still landing their guy.

5. Chargers — Notre Dame OT Joe Alt
Alt is widely considered the clear top tackle in the draft, with ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. as a notable dissenter in ranking Alabama’s JC Latham first.

Drafting a tackle would protect Bears’ biggest investment

6. Giants — Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
The Giants have seen enough from Daniel Jones to know he’s not it, and it’ll be hard to find a good answer in free agency.

7. Titans — Penn State OT Olu Fashanu
If the Titans believe in Will Levis as their quarterback, they should secure an excellent left tackle to protect him.

8. Falcons — LSU WR Malik Nabers
The Falcons are considered the frontrunners to trade for Justin Fields if they don’t get a significant free agent, so this assumes they’re not drafting a quarterback here.

9. Bears — Washington WR Rome Odunze
Odunze would be an incredible get at No. 9. He led FBS with 1,640 yards receiving and would be a great fit alongside DJ Moore.

WRs Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze eye possible chance to play with Caleb Williams on Bears

10. Jets — Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga
The Jets need an instant starter to protect Aaron Rodgers. Everyone’s jobs are at risk after Woody Johnson put them on notice.

11. Vikings — Alabama DE Dallas Turner
With four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Danielle Hunter possibly leaving in free agency, this is a smart pick.

12. Broncos — Georgia TE Brock Bowers
Bowers dominated in college, averaging 58 catches, 846 yards and nine touchdowns over three seasons.

13. Raiders — Oregon QB Bo Nix
Desperation is going to lead to some quarterbacks going higher than expected, and Nix finished third in Heisman Trophy voting last season.

14. Saints — UCLA DE Laiatu Latu
Latu is definitely on the Bears’ radar, but he’s likely to slide a little bit because of concerns about his injury history.

15. Colts — Florida State DE Jared Verse
Verse is another player, like Turner and Latu, who will get strong consideration from the Bears at No. 9. If they’re determined to take a pass rusher, they could trade back a few spots and still get a good one.

16. Steelers (projected trade with Seahawks) — Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
Smart teams stockpile cornerbacks, and Arnold is the best in this class.

17. Jaguars — Missouri DE Darius Robinson
The Jaguars had the eighth-fewest sacks in the NFL last season.

Bears could have top choice of pass rushers with No. 9 pick in NFL Draft

18. Bengals — Alabama OT JC Latham
There’s little chance of right tackle Jonah Williams re-signing, so the Bengals grab a promising replacement here.

19. Rams — Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
Wiggins’ stock might rise even more after he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.

20. Seahawks (projected trade with Steelers) — Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
Penix isn’t a certain first-rounder, but the Seahawks need to develop a young quarterback to take over for Geno Smith.

21. Dolphins — Texas DT Byron Murphy II
Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins will be in high demand in free agency and might be too expensive for the Dolphins to re-sign.

22. Eagles — Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell
The Eagles are strong up front, but got burned quite a bit in pass coverage last season while allowing the second-most yards through the air.

23. Texans (via Browns) — Washington OT Troy Fautanu
As if quarterback C.J. Stroud wasn’t spectacular enough as a rookie, the Texans can make things even easier.

24. Cowboys — Georgia OT Amarius Mims
The Cowboys definitely will be on the lookout for an offensive tackle with longtime star Tyron Smith leaving in free agency.

25. Packers — Oregon OL Jackson Powers-Johnson
Powers-Johnson is a singer, and when asked at the combine who he most sounds like, he said Celine Dion and Adele.

26. Buccaneers — LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.
Nabers wasn’t the only one torching defenses at LSU last season. Thomas caught 68 passes for 1,177 yards and an FBS-high 17 touchdowns.

27. Cardinals (via Texans) — Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton
This would give Illinois a first-round pick two years in a row for the first time since 2011 and ’12.

28. Bills — Iowa CB Cooper DeJean
DeJean had seven interceptions over the last two seasons and was a unanimous All-American last season.

29. Lions — Missouri CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
The Lions made a major breakthrough last season, but still need help in the secondary.

30. Ravens — Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
Mitchell is a brawny receiver who caught 57 passes for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

31. 49ers — Duke OT Graham Barton
Left tackle Trent Williams was the only first-round pick in the 49ers’ starting offensive line for the Super Bowl.

32. Chiefs — South Carolina WR Xavier Legette
Or maybe Texas’ Xavier Worthy, Florida State’s Keon Coleman or Georgia’s Ladd McConkey. But the point is Patrick Mahomes is getting a new weapon here.

Get ready for the NFL Draft