Mocks Abandoning Ship on Justin Fields

It didn't take long at all.

Shortly after Caleb Williams officially announced his decision to come out for the draft, thy tally board at Mockdraftdatabase.com began to reflect this as a favored Bears pick at No. 1.

Before the playoffs, Williams had been the top choice for the Bears but only on 56% of mocks. He has surged this week as their top pick to 69% of mock drafts.

So much for Justin Fields, it would seem.

The mock draft season has begun in earnest and most are starting to see the Bears resetting the salary cap clock at the quarterback position by drafting USC's Williams, then dealing Fields to a QB-needy team.

The mock draft consensus for the Bears at No. 9 in Round 1 is a receiver for Williams, Rome Odunze of Washington. He's the No. 9 pick on 36% of mocks compiled by the website.

The early mocks for 2024 out now include one by P ro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema giving this exact duo to the Bears, as well.

"Ultimately, I think they will reset their rookie quarterback contract window and trade Fields for a nice return," Sikkema wrote. "This draft process will be fascinating when it comes to the quarterback debate, but I still say Williams is the top prospect."

As for Odunze, Sikkema pays the 6-foot-3, 215-pound X-receiver a great compliment. It's something Bears fans would want to hear if they can't get receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

"He feels like the total package and would've easily been WR1 in last year's draft," Sikkema wrote about Odunze

CBS Sports has three of its draft experts posting at this point and not all of them agree with the premise of Williams going to the Bears.

The lone dissenter is veteran Ryan Wilson, who has the Bears sticking with Fields and trading the first pick to Washington, then drafting Harrison Jr. while the Commanders get Williams. He has Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner coming to the Bears at No. 9.

Neither of the other two mock selectors for CBS see this trade coming down. Both Chris Trapasso and Josh Edwards believe the bears take Williams, while Trapasso thinks they'll be able to select LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 9 and Edwards says Turner at No. 9.

Fannation's draft expert Luke Easterling initially had the Bears trading away Williams and going with Fields in a pre-playoff mock draft he did but after the playoffs on Tuesday he posted a new mock and has the Bears selecting Williams. he has them taking UCLA edge Laiatu Latu with the second pick they have in Round 1.

"Montez Sweat was dominant after the Bears added him at the trade deadline, but adding another dynamic edge rusher like Latu (assuming his medicals check out) would be ideal here," Easterling wrote.

In the earlier mock he had done, Easterling had the Bears getting New England's second pick for the move from No. 1 to No. 2 and they took center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger from Georgia with the pick. That drafter was a three-rounder and his third-round pick was three technique defensive tackle Michael Hall from Ohio State. Hall is a bit undersized at 6-2, 285 but is said by scouts to play with a very low center of gravity and never stops coming after the passer.

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