Latest Mock Draft has Bears going after offensive line help |
It's no secret that the 2024 NFL season hasn't gone according to plan, and for the most part, it has been miserable. This team was once sitting at 4-2 and has now lost 10 straight games, with the possibility of an 11th straight loss coming.
To say this season has been a nightmare would be an understatement, but it's a nightmare that is almost over. Fans will rejoice once this season ends and 2025 can begin. However, even with another miserable season-ending, there will be plenty of topics to discuss surrounding the offseason, with the biggest topic falling on the new head coach. There is no question that the biggest obstacle the Bears are facing this offseason is finding not only a new coach but the right coach to turn this franchise around. The Bears can't afford to mess this up again, as the Matt Nagy and Matt Eberflus hires proved to be massive mistakes. At the very least, Nagy got the team to the postseason once, but take that season away, and he wasn't a very good head coach. Once the new Head Coach is brought in, the next question would be what assistants, if any, will be returning to the staff. Many fans loved the idea of Thomas Brown returning as an OC, but looking at how he has performed since becoming the HC, they would happily let him leave this offseason. Whoever the next HC is, they will be walking into a challenging yet good situation as the Bears will not only have another top-10 pick, but they will also have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball to work with. Throw in being in the top five in available money this offseason, and the Bears will have plenty of money to spend to improve this roster the way this new regime sees fit. Sticking with the NFL draft for a little bit, this will once again be a major topic of conversation for this team. With their third top-10 pick in as many seasons, the Bears will once again have an opportunity to draft a franchise-altering player as long as they make the right decision. Caleb Williams was clearly the right decision for them last season. However, the Rome Odunze pick is still being met with questions, as many felt the Bears should've gone offensive line at No. 9. This season is no different, as the Bears are not only picking at No.9 again (as of this article) but will once again be looking to address the biggest weakness on the roster. Looking at where the Bears are picking, they will have plenty of offensive linemen to choose from should that be the direction they take, and judging by all of the Mock Drafts that have been put out, most experts expect them to target offensive line help early and often. In a few different Mock Drafts, the Bears are projected to draft LSU OT Will Campbell, who would be a massive upgrade for this team. Throughout the Bears' season, especially during this losing streak, their lack of depth in the trenches has been exposed, but it is the offensive line that has been exposed the most. Not only has the offensive line suffered plenty of injuries, but they have been turnstiles at best when it comes to blocking. Williams has taken a league-high 67 sacks, just five shy of tying the NFL record set by David Carr in 2002. Although a lot of the sacks are on Williams, the O-line does need help. Campbell could come into Chicago and start from day one, as he would address one of this team's Tackle needs. At 6-6 and 324 pounds, Campbell is the ideal size for an NFL tackle, and he is also one of the more athletic players in that position. Campbell is also just 20 years old, which shows that he will not only be young and will need to learn, but he has the opportunity to be a franchise-caliber offensive tackle for at least the next decade. Campbell has plenty of experience playing alongside NFL-caliber players, with Malik Nabers and Jayden Daniels coming to mind from last season. Looking at how Daniels plays and comparing that to Williams, you will see that both of them have a very similar style in how they conduct things under center. That could come in handy as Campbell is one of those guys used to quarterbacks keeping plays alive longer than expected. Should the Bears take anything other than an offensive lineman in round one of next year's draft, it would be seen as a massive whiff. However, this team should realistically focus on the O-line in multiple rounds, as they need to fix that to give this offense more of a fighting chance game in and out.
