If you’re a Bears fan, you will hope that April 25^th, 2024 will go down in history as the day that the team selected two players who would bring Chicago into a new era filled with playoff appearances and Lombardi trophies. Two players who, if they stay healthy, produce, and win, might just make it into Canton one day. It’s always fun to dream, isn’t it?Let’s recap the Bears’ 2024 draft:

With the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected QB Caleb Williams from USC. As Roger Goodell announced the pick, I gave a big fist pump and fist-bumped my dad, knowing what a huge moment this was for the franchise. Williams looked genuinely pumped as he walked across the stage to meet the Commish. He has said/done most everything right from the Combine until now, allaying fears that he might be a Hollywood diva. Now it’s time to let his play do the talking.

An intense competitor who hates to lose, Williams was working on learning Shane Waldron’s offense before he even got drafted. Despite being ahead of schedule in knowing terminology, etc., he struggled a bit at OTAs last week, which is completely understandable. No matter how generational he may or may not be, he’s still a rookie running an NFL offense and will be facing NFL-level defenses for the first time. That is something the fan base will need to remain cognizant of throughout this offseason and into the regular season.

Because he’s a "generational" #1 pick in a city starved for a franchise quarterback, and because he’s been dropped into a seemingly loaded offense, the expectations on Williams will be enormous. He will make some "how the heck did he do that" plays, and he will make some "why the heck did he do that" plays. But if he is who we think he is, the good should outweigh the bad.

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With the ninth overall pick, the Bears selected WR Rome Odunze from Washington. After watching all the receivers work out at the Combine back in March, Odunze was the guy I wanted for the Bears. The problem? He was so impressive at the Combine that I thought there was no way he’d fall to #9. When the Giants selected Malik Nabers at #6, I let out a huge sigh of relief. The Titans went O-line at #7, and then I figured the Falcons would take edge rusher Dallas Turner at #8, leaving Odunze for the Bears. But then the Falcons shocked the football world by taking Michael Penix, allowing the Bears to have the top edge rusher in the draft if they wanted him.

At that point, my heart sank, and I was convinced that the Bears would take Turner, who would’ve filled the team’s biggest need as the edge opposite DE Montez Sweat. I was so convinced that Turner would be the pick that when Goodell said Odunze’s name, my mind went blank, and I said, "Who?" Then Odunze’s name registered in my head, and I raised my arms in triumph and said, "Rome!" If Chicago had taken Turner, I would’ve been ok with it, and I think most fans/media types would’ve understood the pick as well. But when you’re picking that high (and hoping that you won’t pick that high again for a long time), I think you should go with the best player available, and Odunze was ranked higher than Turner by pretty much everyone.

If you haven’t seen the behind-the-scenes video of Williams’ reaction to Odunze’s selection, check it out, because Caleb’s reaction is priceless. The two became fast friends during the pre-draft process, and Odunze was invited to a throwing session with Williams, WR D.J. Moore, and WR Keenan Allen shortly before the draft. Then, Williams and Odunze happened to be on the same flight together to Detroit for the draft. It all seemed a bit too good to be true that both of them would ultimately become Bears, but it happened, and I am here for it.

Odunze is big, fast, and smooth, and he’s drawn comparisons to Larry Fitzgerald. Are there going to be enough targets in this offense to keep Moore, Allen, and Odunze happy? That’s a question for another day, though all three seem to be team-first guys. As Moore said recently, it’s going to be a race to 1,000 yards. Odunze had some hamstring tightness on the first day of rookie minicamp, but the team hopes he’ll be able to participate in some fashion during OTAs this week.

When the Bears finally were on the clock again in the third round, they selected T Kiran Amegadjie from Yale. A dominant left tackle in the Ivy League the past two seasons, the hope is that Amegadjie can be the swing tackle this season (once he heals up from his quad injury) and then challenge for the starting left tackle job as early as next season.

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If you read this space, you will know that I floated the possibility of the Bears taking Iowa P Tory Taylor in the fourth round in my pre-draft report. And voila, GM Ryan Poles listened! As NFL Network’s Rich Eisen always says, "Punters are people, too," and Taylor isn’t just any punter. He’s set multiple NCAA records for punting distance and accuracy. I know some people have been critical of this selection, saying that it’s not good value to take a punter in the fourth round. But once you get to that part of the draft, would you rather take the [insert high number here] ranked prospect at a certain position, or would you rather take the record-setting, consensus #1-ranked punter? I’m taking the punter, especially in what many said was not a deep draft. It’s a game of inches, and every yard of field position you can get can make a difference out there.

The Bears were seemingly done with their draft after selecting Taylor, but then they sent a 2025 fourth-round pick to Buffalo to trade into the fifth round and select Kansas DE Austin Booker. He’s raw (and some said he could’ve used another year of college), but as Bears scout John Syty said, Booker has "the length, the athleticism, the ability to win multiple ways as a rusher." Could he make the kind of impact as a situational rusher that Mark Anderson did as a rookie back in 2006? Let’s hope.

End.