Mel Kiper Jr. 2024 Mock Draft: Caleb Williams to Bears, More Picks Given in Preview

The biggest question heading into the 2024 NFL offseason is how the Chicago Bears will handle the top overall pick.

Namely, will they keep quarterback Justin Fields and either trade the pick or draft a non-quarterback No. 1 overall? Or will they trade Fields and select the top quarterback prospect on their board?

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. revealed on his Mock Draft 1.0 on Monday that he believes they'll do the latter and select USC's Caleb Williams (3:32 mark).

The benefit of keeping Fields is that he's proved he can be an effective playmaker at the NFL level, even if he needs to progress as a pocket passer. But keeping him would allow the Bears to trade the pick and stock up on future assets in a major way.

The benefit of selecting Williams is that he has more overall upside as a pure passer, he'll be on a team-friendly contract for more years than Fields and the Bears could still trade Fields to a quarterback-needy team with a more established roster ready to compete immediately, possibly fetching a first-round pick in the process.

Either scenario is potentially a win-win for the Bears, but it's hard to see them passing on a player like Williams who has immense upside at the most important position in the sport.

Kiper then revealed he believes the Washington Commanders will—or should—fill their major need at quarterback with LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels instead of North Carolina's Drake Maye with the No. 2 overall selection.

That would potentially leave Maye available for another quarterback-needy team, the New England Patriots at No. 3, though Kiper didn't reveal that selection on the show.

He instead skipped to No. 5, where he sees the Los Angeles Chargers getting Justin Herbert another weapon with Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. That would be a nasty duo.

At No. 10, the draft guru projected the New York Jets to select Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu. The team's offensive line was a major issue in 2023 and keeping Aaron Rodgers upright next season will be priority No. 1 after the offense completely fell apart without him this season.

In Antonio Pierce's' first draft as the Oakland Raiders head coach, Kiper envisions the team upgrading in the secondary and selecting Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold at No. 13. The Raiders will be an interesting team to monitor in the trade-up market, however, given their need for a quarterback.

Another team that potentially will look to add a long-term answer under center this offseason is the Seattle Seahawks, and Kiper projected them to take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 16 overall. Geno Smith wasn't as effective in 2023 as his breakout 2022 campaign and is 33 years old, so prioritizing the position in the draft would make sense.