Bears still need help at wide receiver, and unique talent could be found in 3rd round of NFL Draft
INDIANAPOLIS — Even after all the shuffling Bears general manager Ryan Poles has done at wide receiver over the last three years, he still needs help there as he tries to supply quarterback Caleb Williams with enough weapons.
It’s on the list of issues to address this offseason, but it’s buried below offensive line, defensive line and perhaps a couple other spots. And while the Bears have the fourth-most salary-cap space in the NFL, that $79.5 million will go quickly if they’re shopping for top-tier linemen, among other targets.
Other priorities will steer them in the first two rounds of the draft, where teams typically expect to find immediate contributors. Depending on free agency, it wouldn’t be crazy for the Bears to use all three of their high picks — Nos. 10, 39 and 41 overall — on the offensive line.
The third round is where it should open up and the Bears can explore wide receivers like Texas’ Isaiah Bond and TCU’s Savion Williams at No. 72 overall. NFL.com’s latest three-round mock draft had both of them, along with Ole Miss’ Tre Harris and Utah State’s Jalen Royals, available in the third.
Bond or Williams would be intriguing in new coach Ben Johnson’s offense for very different reasons.
Bond is perhaps the fastest player in the draft and vowed Friday that he’ll break Xavier Worthy’s 40-yard dash record of 4.21 seconds when he runs it at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday.
“I anticipate running 4.20, or possibly if I’m feeling great, I might run 4.1,” said Bond, who also mentioned his best time to date was 4.23. “I’ve been one of the fastest my whole life ... so I’m just going to go out there and trust my training and put on a show.”
Johnson surely could find a way to use speed like that, though if Bond ends up boosting his draft stock the way Worthy did, he’ll go too high for the Bears. Worthy climbed into the first round and went 28th to the Chiefs.
Bond began his career at Alabama before transferring to Texas when Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban retired. Over the 2023 and '24 seasons, he totaled 82 catches, 1,208 yards and nine touchdown receptions, plus a rushing touchdown in 28 games.
Williams would be a fascinating chess piece for Johnson, whose offensive philosophy is to confuse defenses by making “the same things look different and different things look the same.”
Williams, a former high school star quarterback, forced opponents into plenty of guesswork in TCU’s “Wild Frog” package and spent significant time last season studying 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who has gotten an average of 45 carries over the last four seasons.
“I’ve gotten a lot of questions about what I prefer, and I want to play receiver because that’s what I mainly am,” Williams said of his meetings with teams this week. “But whatever they need, that’s what I’m going to do ... I’m able to move all around the field.”
He proved it last season with 60 catches for 611 yards, 51 rushes for 322 yards and 12 total touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown pass.
The only proven receivers the Bears have are DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, and it seems unlikely they will re-sign veteran free agent Keenan Allen. Tyler Scott is going into his third season, but had just one catch last season.
Poles arrived at this juncture after several hits and misses. Trading for Moore and extending him at a favorable salary and drafting Odunze were positives. The errors were trading a second-round pick for Chase Claypool, letting Darnell Mooney walk — he nearly reached 1,000 yards for the Falcons last season — and drafting Velus Jones in the third round.
Too many other areas need attention for the Bears to use a premium resource at receiver, but a middle-round pick could make sense if they find the right talent.