The Chicago Bears are preparing for a franchise-defining 2024 NFL draft. While there’s no question what they’ll do with the first overall pick (hello, Caleb Williams), they have a big decision to make with the ninth overall selection.
Will they take a player to add depth on defense or will they give Williams more help?
The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler shared his thoughts on what he believes could happen at No. 9. Assuming the top three wide receivers — Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze — are off the board, he thinks Chicago could target Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.
Brugler noted that Murphy would fit in well with Matt Eberflus’s scheme, giving them the disruptive three-tech they’re missing.
Yep, Byron Murphy at No. 9 to Chicago is a very realistic scenario**. The disruptive 3-tech that Eberflus covets for his scheme.
**if the top-3 WRs are off the board…interesting "if" https://t.co/DzEH5oObnx
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) April 23, 2024
This could be a great move for the Bears if it happened. They already traded for Montez Sweat last year and it turned their play on defense around. If they added someone like Murphy, they would solidify their pass rush in a big way.
During his pre-draft press conference, general manager Ryan Poles said an interior pass rusher, like Murphy, is “probably a preference when you have an outside guy.” And we know the Bears already have that guy in Sweat.
This is a very big draft for Poles. If Williams and whoever they take at nine turns into studs, Chicago could prosper for a long time. Brugler’s scenario makes a lot of sense for the organization.
Follow The Bears Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
