With the Ohio State and Michigan game approaching, college football season is coming to an end. Soon, conference championships, bowl season, the College Football Playoff, and college all-star games will begin. While teams continue to gather information on college prospects, scouts have already submitted much of it to their respective NFL teams by this point in the season. The Chicago Bears have much to consider at Halas Hall. For the second year in a row, the NFL Draft could begin with them.

The Bears have a 56.4 percent chance of obtaining the first pick in the 2024 draft according to ESPN’s analytics with seven weeks left in the NFL season. This means that they have a chance to select USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye, who are both expected to be top prospects in the quarterback class. Although Williams has faced some losses with USC, he still demonstrates plays that leave fans and NFL teams impressed, while Maye also holds a significant amount of talent. The Bears must weigh their evaluations of both Williams and Maye against their current quarterback, Justin Fields, and consider drafting a potential franchise quarterback.

Another scenario involves using high draft picks to draft non-quarterback blue-chip building blocks. This approach may be more compelling after Fields’ recent standout performance, demonstrating his dynamic ability as a runner and playmaker. The Bears are considering non-quarterback players such as Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu, Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, Alabama pass rusher Dallas Turner, and UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu to improve their roster.

The last scenario involves keeping Fields, trading back from the first pick, and focusing on building the roster while potentially considering a quarterback in the later rounds of the draft or in 2025. The decision to trade the first pick would depend on how Fields and the Bears finish the season and their desire to continue developing together. Ultimately, the Bears must carefully evaluate their options and consider the long-term implications of each scenario for the future of the team.