The NFL Scouting Combine is in the books, so it’s time to fire up the PFF Mock Draft Simulator again and take another swing at trying to fix the 2024 Chicago Bears.

A couple of prefaces:

First, it’s fun. I think these can be fun exercises if you treat them with a degree of realism. I have a great example in the first version of my Chicago Bears seven-round mock draft, but I'll talk about that later.

Second, I want to look back on these and see how fluid the pre-draft process is when the dust settles in Detroit in April. For example, when I did this before the Senior Bowl — and kept it to myself — I had the Bears addressing the need for a center by taking Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson outside the first round. We know today that’s highly unlikely after his Senior Bowl performance was so damn good that he’s skyrocketed to No. 20 on Dane Brugler’s latest Big Board.

So, it was back to the drawing board. Over the next 53 days, we’ll see other names rise and fall, and we’ll see needs addressed in free agency for the Bears and the rest of the league. At this point, I think today — in the wake of the Super Bowl and the Senior Bowl — is a good starting point for this exercise. I’ll do this again post-free agency and once more in the week leading up to the NFL Draft in late April.

If, in between those dates, the Bears do something significant, like trade Justin Fields, I’ll do one then, too.

2024 Chicago Bears 7-Round Mock Draft: 2.0

TRADE!

I think the Bears will end up trading Fields before the draft, so let’s get this out of the way right now. Justin Fields is heading to the Falcons for a pair of picks. The market on Fields is softer than most want to admit, and the Bears get a return here that reflects such.

Round 1, Pick 1: QB Caleb Williams, USC

This is the easy choice. For two years, Caleb Williams has been the top quarterback prospect in this year’s draft class. The Chicago Bears are resetting the clock at quarterback and taking Williams here. He’s a can’t pass on prospect. Period, point blank.

TRADE!