UPDATE: The Chicago Bears selected Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. Live updates on what's next and their remaining first-round pick here.
Day one of the 2024 NFL Draft is officially here, and with the No. 1 pick in tow, all eyes are on the Chicago Bears.
The three-day, seven-round 2024 NFL Draft begins at 7 p.m. Thursday. Last month, the Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth-round pick in 2025 -- and it's all but official that the team will use their No. 1 pick to nab USC Quarterback and 2022 Heisman Winner Caleb Williams.
MORE: 7 big takeaways from the Chicago Bears new stadium proposal
After that, however, things get a little blurry. What remains up in the air is who they'll take with their No. 9 pick and what direction the team will take for their picks in the third and fourth round. And then, of course, there's the NFL Draft trade rumors.
As day one gets underway, here's what to know.
When is the 2024 NFL Draft?
The draft begins on Thursday, Apr. 25. The league will go through the entire first round that night.
The second and third rounds take place on Friday, Apr. 26. A marathon session on Saturday, Apr. 27 takes care of rounds four through seven.
What time does the 2024 NFL Draft start?
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The draft begins at 7 p.m. on Apr. 25. The second round picks up at 6 p.m. on Apr. 26 and day three begins at 11 a.m.
How to watch the NFL Draft
The 2024 NFL Draft will be available on ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network.
For full analysis and more, here's how to watch 2024 NFL Draft Week coverage on NBC Sports Chicago.
What picks do the Bears have?
The Bears have four selections this year: the Nos. 1, 9, 75 and 122 picks.
Who are the Bears expected to pick at No. 1?
The Bears are expected to pick USC quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1.
Williams has checked every box for the Bears during the pre-draft process. They tape and person match all the criteria laid out by general manager Ryan Poles, and those inside Halas Hall are convinced that Williams is uniquely wired to thrive in the Chicago pressure cooker.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and potential No. 1 overall pick by the Bears has a world of talent. He has elite arm talent, rare off-script playmaking ability, and has had NFL evaluators drooling since he burst on the scene at Oklahoma in 2021.
But the criticism of Williams intensified during the 2023 season. As USC struggled due to a horrific defense and leaky offensive line, Williams was forced to try to put the Trojans on his back. The hero ball approach led to some jaw-dropping highlights but also some poor decisions.
A 52-42 loss to undefeated Washington was the perfect example of the uphill battle Williams faced trying to draft the Trojans' flawed roster to wins on a weekly basis. It's a loss that led to a viral moment that has served as a crutch for some of Williams' biggest critics to latch onto.
After the loss, cameras caught Williams going into the stands to be embraced by his mother, who tried to shield him from the cameras as he cried. This moment has become one that critics cite as the reason he can't be relied on to be a leader in the NFL.
Former NFL star and six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy doesn't have time for those who view emotion as a weakness.
"People question why he's crying after games. People who question Caleb Williams crying after games or an athlete crying after games have never worked extremely hard for anything," McCoy, now an analyst for NFL Network, told NBC Sports Chicago at Radio Row for Super Bowl 58. "You have no idea the hours as athletes that we put in. Everybody handles stuff differently. He's showing passion. You mean to tell me you're questioning his toughness or what he is because he chooses to deal with loss by going to talk to his mom?! Because he's going to cry?! You know how many people cry to their moms behind closed doors? They just don't do it on camera. He's Caleb Williams. He's always on camera. There's a lot of athletes that you guys will be surprised to do a lot of crying in the locker room.
"So don't question his toughness because he's crying after losing. We put a lot into this sport, a lot more than just our bodies. So his passion and who he is as a person, if that's why you wouldn't pick him or want him as your leader, alright whatever. Then I don't want you as a fan anyway. Caleb is one of those guys.”
Who are the Bears expected to pick at No. 9?
The Bears have several paths they can go down with their second first-round pick this year. For the last four months however, trading down has been the expected move by the Bears at No. 9.
That's still in the cards -- but there are a select few players the Bears would deem "stick and pick" selections.
For those inside Halas Hall, Rome Odunze, a wide receiver from Washington, is atop that list. With the size, elite ball skills, physical run-after-the-catch ability, contested-catch prowess, and alignment versatility, Odunze is the ideal receiver to add to a receiving corps that already includes DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.
Allen is 32, in the final year of his contract, and has dealt with soft tissue injuries over the past few seasons. With no reliable depth behind Allen and Moore, the Bears need to add a high-ceiling No. 3 receiver to ensure Williams has the proper support system around him.
The Bears must also plan for life after Caleb Williams, whether in a few years or 2025.
Odunze checks all those boxes. Scouts have compared him to Davante Adams, Larry Fitzgerald, and Allen.
If the Bears don't take Odunze at No. 9, left tackle Joe Alt and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II appear to be the other two likely candidates if available. Alt is expected to be a top-7 pick.
If the Bears trade down, it will likely be for a non-Alt tackle, with Alabama's JC Latham and Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga the favored targets among tackles.
What about the Bears' picks in the third and fourth picks?
Here's a look at Chicago Bears' insider Josh Schrock's latest mock draft.
Third round (No. 75 overall) prediction: Austin Booker, DE, Kansas
Opting not to trade down from No. 9 leaves the Bears with just two picks left in the draft, but there are still impact players to be found in the third and fourth rounds.
Booker is one.
A long, twitchy edge defender with explosive athleticism, Booker has all the traits the Bears covet in a defensive end.
While he needs to get bigger and stronger, Booker has a good rush plan with the length and speed to get on top of quarterbacks and running backs in a heartbeat.
He was compared to Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby during the pre-draft process. That's a lofty comparison, but Booker has the tools and talent to become an extremely productive edge rusher with the right coaching and development.
Fourth round (No. 122 overall) prediction: Hunter Nourzad, IOL, Penn State
The Bears round out a short but potentially franchise-altering draft with their long-term answer at center.
Nourzad is a powerful center with solid length, good technique, and the ability to play in any scheme.
The Bears traded for Ryan Bates this offseason and signed Coleman Shelton to a one-year contract, but neither figure to factor into their long-term plans at center. The Bears love Bates, but he's probably best utilized as a swing interior lineman once all the pieces are in place.
Nourzad will need some fine-tuning, but he can be a good depth piece in 2024 with plans to take over in 2025.
2024 NFL Draft Order
Here’s the exact order for the first round of this year’s draft. As mentioned above, this order can change at any time with a trade.
- Bears (via CAR)
- Commanders
- Patriots
- Cardinals
- Chargers
- Giants
- Titans
- Falcons
- Bears
- Jets
- Vikings
- Broncos
- Raiders
- Saints
- Colts
- Seahawks
- Jaguars
- Bengals
- Rams
- Steelers
- Dolphins
- Eagles
- Vikings (via CLE)
- Cowboys
- Packers
- Buccaneers
- Cardinals (via HOU)
- Bills
- Lions
- Ravens
- 49ers
- Chiefs
How long does each team have to pick in the draft?
The amount of time NFL teams have to decide on their picks varies by round.
In the first round, every team is allotted 10 minutes per pick, which means the Bears pick might not come right at 7 p.m.
From there, the league picks up the pace. Teams get seven minutes per pick in the second round, then five minutes per pick for rounds three through six. For round seven, teams only get four minutes to make their picks.
As soon as a team hands in its draft selection card to an NFL runner, the clock resets for the next pick.
What if a team runs out of time before making their pick?
If a team allows the clock to expire without making a pick, the next team in line has the opportunity to turn in their card for the next pick instead. However, the team that ran out of time doesn’t forfeit the pick entirely. They can still make their pick later, whenever they turn in their card.
Wait a second...are the Bears building a new stadium?
The Bears on Wednesday gave fans and all of Chicago a first look at what they're planning to build along the city's lakefront, announcing everything from a location to roofing plans to green space to plaza details.
The team revealed plans for more than just a stadium, rather showcasing an entertainment hub that can host Super Bowls, playoffs, concerts and more.
"We have the best museums in the country. We have the most beautiful lakefront. We have the most vivid downtown architectural design. And this affords us the opportunity to be able to bring this all together in the greatest city on the planet," Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said during a press conference live Wednesday.
