Ryan Poles understood the challenge ahead of him. Thanks to a series of trades that landed key veteran players like Montez Sweat and Ryan Bates, the Chicago Bears were left with only four picks at the start of the 2024 draft. That means the GM could not afford any mistakes. He had to trust his evaluations going into the action were enough to still find quality talent. Any missteps could torpedo what many agree was one of the organization's most important drafts of the past decade.
After evaluating what happened over the past three days, one must marvel at what Poles managed to pull off. Despite ending up with five picks, he still managed to find some of the best value in the class. Here is a full report card grading every pick the Bears made.
The Chicago Bears pulled off something potentially special.
1st Round (#1 overall) - Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Grade: A
Almost every draft expert in the field had Williams #1 overall. He has a rare blend of arm strength, accuracy, mobility, and field vision. This enables him to make plays inside and outside the pocket that many quarterbacks just don't make. Poles made this entire scenario happen by trading the #1 pick last year, securing two 2nd round picks and a future 1st from Carolina. That future 1st became the #1 this year, and Chicago turned it into what many feel is one of the two or three best quarterback prospects this side of the millennium.
1st Round (#9 overall) - Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Grade: A
Many feel the wide receivers were the strength of this class. Odunze routinely ranked among the top five prospects in the entire draft, even the top three. So, for the Bears to snag him at #9 is nothing short of good fortune. There aren't any glaring holes in his game. Odunze is big, strong, fast, can catch anything, and is one of the better route runners in the class. He's also a tremendous worker, never satisfied until he turns a weakness of his game into a strength. The best part is the Bears don't have to lean on him immediately. They have D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen for that. Odunze can develop at a normal pace.
3rd Round (#75 overall) - Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
Grade: B
Drafting players from smaller programs will always be risky. The Ivy League doesn't put out a ton of NFL talent, but it's had good moments. Nobody can dispute that Amegadjie is gifted. He's big and long, has good feet, and has the kind of mean streak the Chicago Bears tend to covet in their blockers. The primary issue is he missed most of last season with a quad injury and never faced top-tier competition. He is a developmental project with high upside. Taking such players in the 3rd round feels a bit too early, but it's a good depth piece, at least.
4th Round (#122 overall) - Tory Taylor, P, Iowa
Grade: A
No word of a lie: This might be my favorite pick of the lot. Yes, taking a punter in the draft is counterproductive most of the time, but this is one of the rare exceptions. Taylor is an elite prospect for his position. He has a booming leg and improved his accuracy significantly over a long run at Iowa. He can flip field position if his offense is backed up or pin an opponent inside the 20. Bad field position haunted the Bears a lot last year. That won't be a problem anymore.
5th Round (#144 overall) - Austin Booker, EDGE, Kansas
Grade: A
Think about this. Booker barely played through his first two years of college. Then, in his one and only season as a starter, he racks up eight sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles. He is so inexperienced, yet he shows the kind of instincts that savvy veteran pass rushers have. The kid is only scratching the surface of what he can be. Most draft outlets gave him a 3rd round rating. Poles got him in the 5th after trading back into the draft with Buffalo. He's big, long, athletic, and has an explosive first step. If he can add some muscle to his frame, the kid can become a quarterback hunter.
Conclusion:
Think about this: The Bears had five picks in this draft. Three of them are likely day one starters (Williams, Odunze, and Taylor). You could make a case that all three were the best at their respective positions in this class. The other two (Amegadjie and Booker) are plus athletes who should serve as primary backups at two premium positions and have the capability of becoming above-average starters after a year of development. If this class lives up to even 70% of its potential, it is an unqualified success.
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