We know he’s the pick, so what can the Bears still do to build around hiim?
There is absolutely zero doubt the Chicago Bears are going to draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams no. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
At this point, the Bears are operating as though Williams is already an unspoken member of the team. There are no more questions to be asked. He’s coming to Chicago.
The questions we should be asking, though, include topics like what the Bears can continue to do in order to prepare Williams for the most possible success early on.
Knowing he’s going to be the pick at one, what else could the Bears do, either in the draft or free agency, to give Williams everything he needs?
1. Draft Joe Alt or Olumuyiwa Fashanu at pick no. 9
Darnell Wright is a staple at right tackle. But, the question still remains whether or not Braxton Jones can be the long-term answer on the left side. Don’t get me wrong. Jones is a fine player. And, if the Bears roll into the season with him as the starting left tackle, I wouldn’t be too worried.
However, if the opportunity presented itself for the Bears to upgrade the position, then you do it. Just as they did by moving Justin Fields in preparation to draft Williams, they have to use the same logic across the entire roster.
If Notre Dame’s Joe Alt or Penn State’s Olu Fashanu are available at pick no. 9, then the Bears should think long and hard before trading the selection. I understand having only four picks in the draft is tough, but both of these players could be difference makers for a very long time. If Alt is there, then it’s a no-brainer. If it’s just Fashanu that’s left on the board, he’s still going to be tough to pass on.
The Bears could be completely set at both tackle positions, and hopefully for the next several years to come. Williams would be protected on the outside, no doubt.
2. Sign wide receiver Michael Gallup in free agency
The Bears are locked and loaded at wide receiver as far as their top two are concerned. D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen will be absorbing a whole lot of targets together. But, the Bears cannot ignore the rest of the depth chart. You need talent behind those two, whether you want to think about injuries or not.
At the moment, Tyler Scott would be the next man up, and he didn’t show enough as a rookie to be relied upon as a WR2. Still out there, though, is former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup. The 6-year veteran would be as good of a WR3 as the Bears could possibly find, at this point.
Gallup has had some injuries throughout his career, but he’s also played in 86 games throughout his career. The sample size is rather large, and he’s even put up a 1,000-yard season to his name. Gallup has always been your traditional outside receiver with the ability to make big plays, going up and getting the tough, 50/50 balls.
3. Draft Malachi Corley in the third round
Whether or not the Bears were to sign someone like Gallup, they can go get one of the draft’s most intriguing receiver prospects in the third round by selecting Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley. As maybe the best in his class after the catch, Corley takes moving the chains personally.
What would be the thrill of a lifetime is to see both Corley and D.J. Moore in the same offense, because they play such a similar style of ball. Both of them do everything in their power to disallow the first would-be tackler, and more often than not, it takes more than one guy to bring them each down.
Standing 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, Corley draws a lot of comparisons to current 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. He plays with a similar physical style as Samuel does, and it’s something that pops off the screen when watching his tape.
Should the Bears be able to put Corley into an offense with Moore and Allen, plus the tight end tandem of Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, then Caleb Williams would have more than enough in his passing arsenal.
