2024 NFL Mock Draft 2.0: Bears Keep Fields and Draft WR

It’s mock draft season, and what better way to keep it rolling than with a controversial one? With the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine looming in the near future, several players could see a rise in their NFL Draft stock with good testing numbers and strong interviews. Medical evaluations will also be a massive determining factor in a player’s draft position, with a few in the top five at their position having a few medical concerns. Let’s dive into this NFL mock draft, where the Chicago Bears decide to keep Justin Fields and aren’t able to move the first overall pick.

2024 NFL Mock Draft 2.0

In an NFL world where teams lack a franchise quarterback, it would be shocking if the Bears couldn’t find a trade partner. However, the NFL is as unpredictable as anything, and a scenario like this needs to play out. What would they do in this case? Someone like Marvin Harrison Jr. is as special as we’ve seen, and we could see the first wide receiver selected as the number one overall pick since 1996 when the New York Jets selected Keyshawn Johnson.

What would this do to the quarterback landscape in the NFL Draft? We could see several teams try to jump inside the top five and grab a quarterback for cheaper, as it would bump guys like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels down another pick. It could also mean teams can wait for someone like JJ McCarthy in the middle of the first round or make them more comfortable waiting until day two for someone like Michael Penix Jr., who will have important medical evaluations at the Scouting Combine.

A player to watch closely at the NFL Combine will be UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu. If it weren’t for a serious neck injury that forced him to medically retire earlier in his college career, he would be a lock as a top-five pick. He’s arguably the most pure pass rusher in the game with his athleticism, flexibility, and pass-rush arsenal. While Latu didn’t measure in with elite length, he makes up for that by rushing with an elite plan of attack and various moves that he can win with.

Let’s dive into the rest of the picks, how the first round could go with zero trades, and the conflict the Bears run into.

Check out how Mock Draft 1.0 went, where the Bears move on from Fields.

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