Breaking down the Bears' 5-man 2024 NFL Draft class

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — In his first two NFL Drafts leading the Bears, general manager Ryan Poles made decisions as an executive overseeing a team in a rebuilding mode. This time around, it was clear he has a different perspective of where his team stands.

Poles led the Bears through a draft that signaled the organization believes it can emerge as a contender in 2024 and beyond. The Bears made five selections in this draft, including with the No. 1 overall pick. Here's a breakdown of the Bears’ five picks from the 2024 NFL Draft.

Round 1, No. 1 overall: USC quarterback Caleb Williams
In Williams, the Bears believe they've landed a long-awaited franchise quarterback for Chicago.

Williams, 22, won the Heisman Trophy at USC in 2022 as he threw for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions. He then threw for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2023. Williams played in 11 games at Oklahoma as a freshman in 2021 before transferring to Southern California.

Poles first watched Williams play as a true freshman at Oklahoma, immediately noticing his immense talent and keeping an eye on his development from there. As the Bears explored their quarterback options this offseason, Williams graded out far above the rest.

The Bears traded three-year starting quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers in March, landing a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick in return and clearing the way for Williams.

Quote to note
"My reason to go out there is to win games. My reason why is to win games and championships. So, I want to be a big portion of it. I want to go out there, I want to have fun, I want to enjoy it and I want to do it with my teammates. What better place to do it than (with) the Chicago Bears?"
— Williams

Scout’s take
"Yeah, really intelligent guy. He came across as a really good teammate. Easy to talk to, down to earth. You know, we've talked through this process about you know the whole Hollywood thing. He's all ball, wants to work, wants to get better, wants to win as a team. That's the No. 1 thing for him on top of being successful. So I think the biggest thing is does he fit with our culture and what we're trying to do and all signs were that he does, so that's a positive."
— Poles on Williams

Round 1, No. 9 overall: Washington receiver Rome Odunze
The Bears were intent on landing Odunze with the second of two first-round picks, even considering the prospect of trading up to land him.

But Poles trusted that Odunze would fall to No. 9 and was thrilled how it played out.

The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Odunze hauled in 92 receptions for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. He joins a wide receiver group with the Bears that also features DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, the NFL's lone tandem to each surpass 1,200 receiving yards in the 2023 season.

The Bears envision Odunze’s versatility allowing him to play multiple roles within their offense.

Quote to note
“We can do special things.”
— Odunze on joining forces with WIlliams, Moore, Allen and the Bears

Scout’s take
“I don’t know where to start with that guy. First of all, the human being, what a great guy. Work ethic, just blue-collar in the way he goes about things. But as a receiver, he can line up anywhere – inside, outside. You love his ability to finish in contested situations. He plays strong, plays big, run-after-catch is very good. He’s a punt returner as well. I mean, the kid put time in and he got better and better every single year.”
— Poles on Odunze

Round 3, No. 75 overall: Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie
The Bears wrestled with several options for their lone pick Friday but didn’t overcomplicate the decision. They went with Amegadjie as they looked to bolster their offensive line.

A two-time All-Ivy League selection at Yale, Amegadjie is a Hinsdale product who grew up dreaming of playing for the Bears. He even met head coach Matt Eberflus at a local golf club last year and told him he'd one day sit in his office as a draft prospect for Chicago.

In time, the Bears envision Amegadjie competing for the starting left tackle job against two-year starter Braxton Jones, though his rookie season will likely be a developmental period.

Quote to note
“I don't even know if this is real or I'm dreaming."
—Amegadjie on joining the team he grew up rooting for

Scout’s take
“We're thrilled to have him. His combination of length and athleticism and size, and obviously he's a sharp kid coming out of the Ivy League.”
— Bears co-director of player personnel Trey Koziol on Amegadjie

Round 4, No. 122 overall: Iowa punter Tory Taylor
Taylor was by far the best punter in the nation last season, winning the Ray Guy Award and setting an NCAA single-season punting yards record. He landed 43.1% of his punts inside the 20-yard line over 49 career games with the Hawkeyes and averaged 48.2 yards per punt in 2023.

Taylor should immediately step in over incumbent starting punter Trenton Gill, a seventh-round draft pick of the Bears in 2022.

The selection the Bears used on Taylor came from the Eagles as part of the trade in the 2023 NFL Draft in which Philadelphia moved up from No. 10 overall to No. 9 overall to select defensive lineman Jalen Carter. The Bears landed offensive tackle Darnell Wright with the 10th overall pick.

Quote to note
“Caleb (Williams) just texted me before saying, ‘Hey you’re not going to punt too much here,’ which is great.”
— Taylor

Scout’s take
“He's pumped to be here, what we're building here and help us make a change and help us on the field, you know. We see him as a weapon.”
— Midlands area scout Drew Raucina on Taylor

Round 5, No. 144 overall: Kansas pass rusher Austin Booker
Just when it seemed the Bears were done with this NFL Draft, they jumped right back in Saturday afternoon.

The Bears acquired a fifth-round pick from the Bills and selected Booker, a raw-but-talented pass rusher. Coincidentally, the selection that Buffalo sent to Chicago was initially the Bears’ own pick – which they dealt to the Bills in March to acquire veteran offensive lineman Ryan Bates.

Booker recorded eight sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in 12 games in 2023.

He has the potential to start as a rookie alongside Pro Bowl pass rusher Montez Sweat.

Quote to note
"I've got speed, I've got length, I've got strength and being able to use all those at once is a gift that I have. I'm going to use it at the next level."
— Booker

Scout’s take
“Austin’s a HITS principle kid from the start. He can win with coordination, his hands, all that stuff, but he’s also got a relentless motor. I think when you turn on this kid’s tape, it stands out.”
— Bears area scout John Syty

 Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 .