ESPN recently released a way-too-early 2024 NFL mock draft; Bears fans should be clinging to their seats.
No one knows, obviously, where each team will pick. Records determine picks, and we're not even at training camp. But we can prognosticate whenever we please. ESPN dares to predict the Bears will draft with the No. 10 and 11 picks.
Remember: the Carolina Panthers traded the Bears their first-round pick for the 2024 draft when the Bears surrendered their No. 1 overall pick from the most recent draft to them.
No. 10 pick: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
Turner is an upcoming junior at Alabama, succeeding the likes of Will Anderson and filing in behind many great edge rushers before him. Over the course of two seasons, Turner has recorded 67 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.
Turner would make up for the edge rusher the Bears didn't add to their roster this offseason. They opted to wait for their guy. That could be Turner.
"Turner is raw and hasn't quite figured out how to consistently string pass-rush moves together, but at 6-4, 240 pounds, he has impressive physical traits and upside," ESPN's Jordan Reid wrote.
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No. 11 pick: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Wamp, wamp. It's not Marvin Jones Jr. Reid has the Cardinals drafting him with the No. 2 pick and Caleb Williams -- the USC quarterback -- with the No. 1 overall pick. (The Cardinals have their own pick and the Houston Texans' first-rounder if you were wondering how they could possibly draft back-to-back in the first round.)
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Egbuka, the 6-foot-1 and 203-pound Big Ten receiver recorded a wildly impressive sophomore season with the Buckeyes. He authored a 1,151-yard season with 10 receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.
"He is a crafty and detailed route runner with a great feel for attacking creases against zone looks and the body control and instincts to create separation against man coverage," Reid wrote.
The Bears did a lot of offseason -- and midseason -- work on their wide receiver core. They added Chase Claypool before the last trade deadline in 2022. And just after the NFL combine last March, the Panthers included DJ Moore as part of their trade for the No. 1 pick. In the draft, the Bears added the wildly athletic Tyler Scott from Cincinnati.
Some, however, are skeptical of Claypool. Over 10 games last season, he caught 10 passes for 140 yards, failing to provide any sense of positivity to his inclusion to the Bears. If Claypool -- or any receiver -- doesn't live up to expectation, the Bears could reload the core with the Ohio State product.
