The Chicago Bears had what could be considered a franchise-altering 2024 NFL Draft. And that was all likely due to one player, maybe even two.
Of course, the main player we’re speaking of here is USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The former Trojans hope to be the long-awaited answer at signal-caller that Chicago has been looking for since what seems like the beginning of time. But you can’t overlook the selection of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze either.
What’s really significant about these two picks is that not only were they the first two selections by the Bears, they were both out of the first round within the top 10 picks. Williams was No. 1 overall and Odunze was No. 9. These two could very well be the cornerstone pieces of a new era in Chicago, making for an evolution on the offensive side of the ball.
All in all, the Bears walked out of the 2024 NFL Draft with five new players to add to their roster for the upcoming season, which isn’t all that many. While they perhaps hit on the most pressing need of all, that being quarterback, they weren’t without their mistakes in this year’s draft. So, let’s take a look at them.
Bears select punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round
Bears’ general manager Ryan Poles had to be a bit more calculated in his picks following his two first-round selections, however. For one, the Bears went from having two picks in the top 10 to then not selecting again until pick No. 75 in the third round, to which they selected Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie. The team was voided of a second-round pick after trading with the Washington Commanders for Montez Sweat last October.
And two, the Bears only came into the 2024 NFL Draft with a total of four draft picks. They sent another one of their picks (fourth round) to the Los Angeles Chargers in the trade for wide receiver Keenan Allen.
That’s why it was an odd choice for Poles to go after a punter in the fourth round.
If there was going to be a punter to go after in this year’s draft, it was certainly Tory Taylor out of Iowa. He had the most punts in the FBS in 2023 with 4,479 punting yards, averaging 48.2 yards per punt, per Sports-Reference. He broke an 85-year-old NCAA single-season record for punting yards with a 67-yarder in Iowa’s game against Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl last season, according to ESPN’s Steve Muench. He also won the Ray Guy Award last season, after more or less becoming the Hawkeyes’ offense.
Tory Taylor will replace Bears’ previous punter
Taylor looks to be replacing last year’s punter, Trenton Gill, who was waived by the Bears not long after the draft. Gill’s departure wasn’t a surprise, as the Bears were ranked at the bottom of the league in punting last year, only averaging 38 net yards per attempt. However, seeing as how the team had a low amount of draft picks this year, it’s still surprising that Poles would want to draft a punter of all positions.
There were only two special teams players taken in this year’s draft, with Taylor being one and Alabama kicker Will Reichard the other, drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round, at No. 203 overall.
The Bears could have chosen to look toward a defensive selection with their fourth-round pick instead of having to trade back into the fifth round to make up for yet another pick they lost to the Buffalo Bills in a trade for center Ryan Bates back in March. Their fifth-round selection of defensive end Austin Booker was the only defensive player they drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft.
It’s likely that Taylor will be a massive upgrade to Gill, but this move still has to be questioned and even considered a mistake by Poles and the Bears during this year’s draft.
