MOBILE, Ala. — The question of what the Bears will do with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft has dominated the discussion to the point that it’s rarely mentioned that they’re also sitting on a tremendous asset with the ninth pick.
Of course, nothing will matter much for the Bears if they don’t square away their quarterback situation, and the No. 1 pick could solve that issue if they want to move on from Justin Fields. Fields has made modest progress in three seasons, but he was in the bottom half of NFL starters in most passing categories this season.
At No. 1, general manager Ryan Poles can choose from among USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, LSU’s Jayden Daniels or someone else. Williams is the clear favorite, but the Bears have nearly three months to evaluate.
Having the top choice in a strong quarterback class is valuable, but the options should be strong at No. 9, as well. That’s the Bears’ own pick after finishing 7-10.
In the past decade, eventual stars Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Donald, Laremy Tunsil, Odell Beckham and Micah Parsons were on the board at that spot. Teams hope to land a future All-Pro when they pick in the top 10.
If Poles holds on to that selection, he could fill a need at pass rusher, wide receiver or on the offensive line. Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu and Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt are among the players popularly projected to go ninth to the Bears.
Poles, assistant general manager Ian Cunningham and coach Matt Eberflus were part of the Bears’ delegation scouting practices at the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile. Latu and likely first-round offensive linemen Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) and Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State) were some of the top prospects on the field.
Poles could use the No. 1 pick on a quarterback and trade out of No. 9 to stockpile more draft assets. But he has to weigh whether that’s worth bypassing the chance to acquire elite talent.
When Poles traded out of the No. 1 pick last year, he said it was painful because “you do become a fan of some of these players,” mentioning Alabama defensive end Will Anderson as an example. But he believed in the trade because he wanted “more opportunities at the plate” by getting the Panthers’ first-round pick this year and their second-round selection next year.
Whether the Bears stick with Fields or reboot with a rookie, they need powerful downfield threats at wide receiver.
When Poles dealt his No. 1 pick to the Panthers, he acquired a game-changer in wide receiver DJ Moore and was optimistic that he had put a quality trio in place for the long term: Moore, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool.
The Bears were done with Claypool just four games into the season. Mooney plunged to career-low production this season and is a pending free agent. Aside from Moore and Mooney, no Bears wide receiver had 20 or more catches this season.
Velus Jones, a third-round pick in 2022, has 11 career catches. The Bears drafted Tyler Scott in the fourth round last year, but it’s too early to know what they have in him.
Poles has a lot more work to do in that department.
It’s the same at defensive end, where Poles found one fixture by trading a second-round pick for Montez Sweat. But the Bears need a force opposite him. Those players are difficult to get in free agency.
“It’d be great playing with him,” Latu said of Sweat, who had a career-high 12½ sacks last season. “He’s such a high-caliber dude, so playing alongside him and being able to gain knowledge from him would really elevate my game.”
Even with Sweat, the Bears had the second-fewest sacks in the NFL this season. They don’t have any young pass rushers who appear to be on the path to stardom to join him.
And while the offensive line has progressed from the patchwork group Poles inherited, it remains a work in progress. Braxton Jones was a brilliant find in the fifth round out of Southern Utah two years ago, but he has yet to silence questions about whether he’s the Bears’ left tackle of the future.
Poles invested the No. 10 pick last year — after trading down to No. 9 in the Panthers deal, he flipped that pick to the Eagles and moved down another spot — in right tackle Darnell Wright, so it’s clear he’s willing to use his most valuable selections up front. The Bears also likely will look for a new center.
That’s where the later-round picks probably will come into play. This year, though, the Bears don’t have many. After the first round, their remaining selections are in the third round (No. 75 overall), fourth round (two picks) and fifth round (one).
None of those are prime picks, but smart teams find contributors in that range. That’s a huge reason they dedicate so much personnel to scout the Senior Bowl and other college all-star games.
Those pieces can help, but they end up becoming mostly irrelevant if a team doesn’t have a core of stars — including a quarterback — to build around. The majority of the players who elevate teams to championship contention are high draft picks.
The teams playing in the Super Bowl know that. The Chiefs took Mahomes 10th in 2017, when Poles was their director of college scouting, and the 49ers have an MVP finalist in running back Christian McCaffrey, who went eighth in that draft.
The Bears’ high picks this year are especially important because they’re at a crossroads and next season has to be the final phase of Poles’ rebuild. The goal is to be a playoff team, then contend in 2025. It’ll take stars to get there. It’s obvious the Bears could find one with the first pick, but they need one at No. 9, too.
