Bear Digest

Bears In-Season Mock Draft 1.0

The start of the mock draft season comes a bit early for the Bears and their first pick depends greatly on what they decide about Justin Fields.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears In-Season Mock Draft 1.0
Bears In-Season Mock Draft 1.0

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Chicago Bears

Normally the bye week around the middle of a season allows a losing team to look ahead and also provides and ideal period for the sport of the offseason.

Of course, that would be mock drafts. 

This is usually the most interesting part of the year for the Bears.

However, the NFL schedule makers for the second straight year gave the Bears a bye week ideally suited for Christmas shopping and not resting. In fact, it's almost after Christmas shopping.

So the minibye weekend must do as a time for the first mock draft aimed at the 2024 NFL Draft.

The good news about the bye being situated at the start of December is it allows for two in-season mock drafts.

The Bears currently have the No. 1 pick thanks to the Carolina Panthers, and their own ability to beat the Panthers on Thursday. They're on the clock.

Here it is, the first of two in-season mock drafts with the Bears quarterback situation at the center of it all. 

It's BearDigest's in-season mock draft 1.0, and we'll take it slow for this first mock as it's only five rounds. Those sixth- and seventh-round picks rarely amount to much anyway.

Round 1, No. 1 WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio St.

6-foot-4, 205 pounds

This is the player they need to come out with if they don't believe they have to get a quarterback. For this draft, we're assuming they don't because Justin Fields is still getting the benefit of the doubt at least through the next two divisional games. T

he reason they have to get Harrison is he is the one true elite level talent in the draft. The QBs are good, but Harrison so much better than any receiver available and the Bears need someone else even if they do sign Darnell Mooney to remain with the team. Defenses won't be able to cloud DJ Moore anymore. This is a draft conducted without trades. So they pick Harrison a receiver who can combine with Moore to cause fear in every secondary. He has 29 touchdown catches, 147 catches for 2,465 yards and has blazing speed to go with his height

Round 1 No. 5 T Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn St.

6-6, 319

The Lion King. Hands down the best offensive lineman in the draft. Sure, the Bears have a pair of effective tackles now. The ideal move would be trading down and using picks acquired to draft a center but there are none of first-round quality in this draft. You can always trade Braxton Jones for a pick and  insert Fashanu, who is even more of a sure thing at left tackle than Darnell Wright was at right tackle this year. It lets them be as physical in the running game as they want, too.

Round 3, No. 69 C Zach Frazier, W. Virginia

6-2, 310

It's a reach here as most are grading Frazier as a late third rounder but he is the best available at the position at this point. Jackson Powers-Johnson of Oregon was the target going into this mock but he's not going to be available unless the Bears trade down. The Bears here are hurt by trading away the second-round pick for Montez Sweat and not having a pick in the round when they could have had the best center. But Frazier was best available at No. 69 and has proven himself as a blocker as a former guard who converted, and has done it now long enough to be good at snapping the ball. No more grounders like the Bears often have on shotgun snaps. A good reason for the Bears to stick with Justin Fields at QB might be because he's a former baseball player and can field grounders, like the shotgun snaps we've seen much of this season.

Round 4, No. 105 S Jaden Hicks, Washington St.

6-2, 202

It would seem Eddie Jackson's days would be numbered in Chicago with high high salary and the number of missed game due to injuries he's had in the last two years. He's in the last year of his contract in 2024. So they're going to need another safety, and could draft two even because Elijah Hicks looks like a decent replacement but probably not an NFL starter long term. This Hicks is big with a good reach, which Matt Eberflus likes in safeties. He has two interceptions and 10 pass breakups with a forced fumble and 142 tackles in two seasons.

Round 4, No. 132 WR Moose Muhammad III, Texas A&M

6-1, 195

His dad caught a touchdown pass for the Bears in the Super Bowl and once said Chicago is where wide receivers go to die. So the appropriate payback by the Bears is to draft his son. Muhammad has 66 catches for 922 yards and nine TDs in three seasons.

Round 5, No. 142 Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia

6-1, 235

He played a big part in 2021 and 2022 but has been slowed a bit by injury this year. But he's a linebacker with speed, 17 tackles for loss and 9 1/2 career sacks and 125 total tackles to go with an interception return for a touchdown.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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