Latest mock draft has Bears trading No. 1 pick, passing on QB for second year in a row

The Chicago Bears have an excellent chance to get the No. 1 overall pick for the second year in a row. 

In his latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft, CBS Sports Ryan Wilson has the Bears trading that pick for the second year in a row. 

The Bears are positioned to get the No. 1 pick in 2024 as a result of their trade of the top pick a year ago when they sent it to the Panthers for a package of picks (and wide receiver D.J. Moore) that included the Carolina's 2024 first-round pick. The Panthers made the trade to select quarterback Bryce Young. So far it is looking like quite the blunder as Young has been slow to develop and the Panthers own the NFL's worst record.

Wilson's mock draft has the Bears moving down to the No. 2 pick in a trade that would see the New England Patriots move up to No. 1 overall to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams. 

What makes it even more interesting is that Wilson not only has the Bears trading out of No. 1, but not even taking a quarterback with their new pick at No. 2. Or with their own first-round pick at No. 5 overall.

Instead, he has the Bears passing on a top-tier quarterback for the second year in a row to continue trying to build something around Justin Fields.

Wilson has the Bears taking Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 2 overall pick and then selecting Alabama edge-rusher Dallas Turner to pair up with trade-deadline acquisition Montez Sweat. 

It's definitely an interesting approach, but it would set the Bears up for harsh criticism if it did not work out. By trading back from No. 1 to No. 10 a year ago, they passed on both Young and C.J. Stroud to stockpile picks and improve the offensive line with offensive tackle Darnell Wright.

Passing on Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye would definitely get a reaction, especially given the fact that Fields is still largely unproven.

Fields has shown flashes of being a game-changing quarterback at various points in his young career, but the consistency has simply not been there. The Bears have not exactly surrounded him with a lot of talent, and adding somebody like Harrison Jr. to go with Moore would certainly put an end to that narrative.