Mel Kiper Jr’s newest mock draft contains some eye-opening information for the Bears
NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. released a new miniature mock draft on Monday morning. The draft covers picks 1-10 and in it, he shared some interesting nuggets of information surrounding the Bears and potential trade value for Justin Fields.

When asked by the co-host what he would do with the number one overall pick, Kiper Jr said if he were Ryan Poles he would draft Caleb Williams and trade Justin Fields.

Mel Kiper explains his draft strategy for the Bears
When I came to the conclusion after studying Caleb Williams, that’s the guy to take. You reset the clock, you draft Caleb Williams number one, you trade Justin Fields, who did them a favor by looking so good, you needed Justin Fields to look good and show that great promise as a dual-threat quarterback once he gets some help with another receiver with Chicago if you want to keep him. So you can either keep Fields and trade that pick, or trade Fields and keep that number one pick and draft Caleb Williams.

I would go with Caleb Williams, a Sensational quarterback two years ago great early this year then he had some issues from really that Arizona game, and the Notre Dame game on, but the bottom line is when you study the overall body of work and the ability of him with his arm talent and the way he sees the field and how instinctive he is as a quarterback.

We say well its an unknown with Caleb Williams people say, its a known with Justin Fields, no its not, it’s an unknown whether Justin Fields can be Franchise. So sure its an unknown with Caleb but its also an unknown with Justin.

Kiper’s predicted trade value for Justin Fields makes the trade a must
Kiper went on to reveal what he thinks the Bears could get in return for trading Justin Fields and what Kiper suggests is very significant compensation for parting with Fields

If you trade Justin Fields to Atlanta, you could get the eighth pick overall, so you could have one, eight and nine and be able to recoup a second round pick by trading down with one of those two picks either eight or nine, a lot of maneuverability for the Bears. But if its me, I’m taking Caleb Williams number one and I’m trading Justin fields.

Getting a first round pick for Justin Fields would be a massive trade for Ryan Poles. If the Falcons offer their first round pick for Justin Fields, Ryan Poles should not hesitate to accept it.

While Justin Fields has shown promise, the Bears need to think about the future, the future cannot be built on promise alone. Fields has been the ultimate team player and some things haven’t gone his way. But he simply hasn’t shown enough to justify keeping him over one of the top prospects in the draft like Caleb Williams. The QB discussion has become even more important with Green Bay’s Jordan Love emerging into one of the best young QB’s in the NFL. The Bears NEED to get the QB right in order to compete in the NFC North.

As Kiper points out, The Bears have no picks in the second round. An extra first round pick could be traded for one or two seconds and maybe a third round pick. There are many teams with desperate top 10 needs. The market for a big haul is definitely there.

This would allow Ryan Poles to fill in the roster with some solid talent on day two of the draft. The 2024 NFL draft is incredibly deep, there is sure to be some great players available in the second round.

This means the Bears could potentially draft a QB for the future AND get a haul to help put pieces around him. A scenario like that has the ability to alter the franchise forever.

If you are interested in Kiper’s full mini draft, the video has been embedded below.

Ryan Poles has an unlimited amount of possibilities in front of him as the 2024 NFL draft approaches. The Bears future is relying on this draft to be a homerun. Otherwise the franchise may be stuck in neutral for much longer. The Bears have been in a feedback loop of failing to develop QB’s and missing again and again on the right coaching staff. The cycle can be broken, it all comes down to Ryan Poles in April.