2024 NFL draft: The Bears’ biggest need is not what fans may think, according to an NFL analyst
The 2023 NFL season is at its halfway mark. And through the first half of the season, we have learned some things about the Bears. The defense has improved significantly over last season. And additions like Darnell Wright and DJ Moore were solid moves. However, the team still has multiple holes that need to be addressed before the Bears can compete. There are plenty of answers available for the Bears in the draft.
NFL analysts Jordan Reid and Matt Miller co-wrote an article on ESPN Plus. In the article, they picked the biggest need for all 32 NFL teams. Reid tackled the Bears’ projected biggest need in the 2024 NFL draft. According to Reid, a quarterback is not the Bears’ priority.
General manager Ryan Poles has a lot of important decisions to make, starting with quarterback. A lot of what happens next hinges on Justin Fields’ performance after he returns from a thumb injury. If he doesn’t show progress, that changes everything. But outside of the still undetermined quarterback situation, wide receiver is probably the team’s top need.
Darnell Mooney is on an expiring contract, so Chicago has to add targets alongside DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. With two picks projected to be high in the draft, Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State) would be a home-run for Fields.
– Jordan Reid
The Bears future relies on Justin Fields
The Bears need Justin Fields to be the answer at QB. If he can return from his injury and prove he can become the Bears solution at QB, that would be the best case scenario.
Being able to use valuable draft assets to address holes in the roster would be more effective than adding a brand new QB. Any quarterback the Bears draft will need time to develop and grow. The Bears could really save some time if Fields can be the guy.
There are seven games left this season, Fields has that much time to prove himself. And if he can’t, the Bears biggest need might become QB by the time the 2024 NFL draft rolls around.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is the Bears biggest need for 2024 NFL draft
The Bears will have at minimum one top five draft pick. The 2024 NFL draft has 2 quarterbacks who are projected to go in the top 5. It is a solid QB class, mainly carried by Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. With Bo Nix rounding out the group as an honorable mention. Good choices, but not the best QB class by any means. The receiver depth in the draft on the other hand, is a different story.
The draft is stacked as far as wide receiver talent goes. There are 8 receivers projected to be selected in the first round alone.
The receiving class is headlined by Marvin Harrison Jr. who has been scorching college defenses all year long.
The Bears need a wide out, and Jordan Reid’s comments from his article cement in place the fact that Marvin Harrison Jr. is too good of a receiver to pass on.
He’s having another monster season for Ohio State and could warrant being taken No. 1 overall if the Bears don’t want to go quarterback early. The flip side of that is this wide receiver class overall is really good and there could more targets later in the 2024 NFL draft.
Either way, it looks like Ryan Poles and his staff will have a big decision to make with the 2024 NFL draft, especially if Justin Fields can’t prove his the guy in these final seven games of the 2023 NFL season. If there’s any doubt, it would be hard for Poles to pass up on a quarterback.
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