At the Combine this year, the NFL will visit Indianapolis on Tuesday to meet with the top prospects selected in this
year’s draft. Teams will learn important details about players throughout the week, and draft boards will begin to
take shape. There will be new draft favorites. Others’ draft stock will decrease.
Let’s take a moment to evaluate the current situation with a pre-Combine mock draft, though, as we have no idea
how things will evolve during the Combine just yet.
As always, the purpose of our mock draft is not to guess what the Bears will actually do when they return to the War
Room for the upcoming offseason. That isn’t feasible. It’s also not intended to be a suggestion for what the Bears
ought to do. This mock draft is designed to be an enjoyable method to explore some of the intriguing college
prospects this season, have fun brainstorming, and speculate on how those guys would fit in Chicago. We’ve already
written extensively about Williams. Check out the coverage here if you haven’t already. In other words, Williams is
widely regarded as a practically flawless quarterback prospect. GM Ryan Poles may find it difficult to turn down the
chance, regardless of his opinion of Justin Fields.
There are still a lot of players on their big board that the Bears would be pleased to add to the club by the time they
are eligible to select again in the first round. Poles, then, seizes the chance to go back a few positions and add a
second-round choice in the process.
A large-framed pass catcher is required by the Bears to support DJ Moore in the offense. They also needed another
tight end. Bowers answers the two questions. Although his blocking isn’t as well-known, that is irrelevant to the
Bears. Cole Kmet has made such progress in that area that Bowers can be used as extra muscle or as a monstrous slot
receiver.
Bowers caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns over the course of three seasons. In addition, he has
five touchdowns on the ground. Bowers was the national tight end of the year in both 2023 and 2022, having
received the John Mackey trophy. The only player to win the prize in consecutive seasons is him.
At 6’4″ and 274 pounds, Trice is a large, strong man with a powerful motor. The Bears, who adore athletic guys with
excellent measurables, will be enticed by the combination of qualities alone, but Trice’s production matches the
traits. Trice finished the 2022–2023 season with 16 sacks and 23.5 TFL. He also led the nation in pressures for each
of those seasons, according to PFF.
You’re not having a déjà vu moment. The former defensive tackle and All-Pro for the Panthers, Kris Jenkins, is his
son. Though not quite as large as his father, the younger Jenkins is nonetheless an impressive physical specimen,
and scouts believe NFL teams should be interested in his athleticism. Jenkins’s ability to stop the run will be
especially appreciated by the Bears. Draft experts think Jenkins is a touch raw, but the Bears can use a top-100 pick
on his potential as a second-wave tackle because Gervon Dexter had a fantastic season last year.
Son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, Rice is another athlete with an outstanding NFL background selected by the Bears
in the draft. They also include a college acquaintance as their new quarterback. Following his arrival to the Trojans,
Rice caught 45 passes for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns. His height of 6’3″ nicely balances DJ Moore’s 5’11” body. In
addition, he spent much of his season playing outside, providing the Bears with a reliable backup outside receiver to
complement Bowers’ potent middle-of-the-field ability. With just a 4.3% drop rate according to PFF last season,
Rice, like his father, was one of the more reliable receivers in college.
The Bears add their second Bulldog just a few picks after adding their second Trojan. Although Smith spent a lot of
time playing in the box while at Georgia, he possesses the playmaking ability to succeed in the back of the defense,
where the Bears will need him with Eddie Jackson out of the picture. Smith had four pass interceptions throughout
his Georgia career. Scouts adore his toughness and forceful tackling, something Matt Eberflus also needs to possess.
As the Bears are known to adore Senior Bowl performers, Smith also performed admirably in the crucial All-Star
game earlier this season. Because of his excellent practice and three PBUs during the game, he was named his team’s
MVP.
