Shaw Local draft central: Live updates from day 3 of 2024 NFL draft

LAKE FOREST – It was a historic night for the Bears on Thursday.

They drafted quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, then followed it up by taking receiver Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick. It was the first time since 2003 that the Bears had multiple first-round draft picks.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have a chance to catapult their team in a new direction. Poles, who helped the Kansas City Chiefs draft Patrick Mahomes seven years ago, hopes that Williams will be the missing piece for his now two-year-long rebuild in Chicago.

On Friday, the Bears selected Hinsdale native Kiran Amegadjie, an offensive tackle from Yale, in the third round with the 75th overall pick. The Bears enter Saturday with only one more draft pick, a fourth-rounder (No. 122 overall).

Shaw Local will be covering all things Bears throughout the three days of the draft. Check back here for live updates.

[ Here's everything Bears fans need to know ahead of tonight's NFL draft ]

Bears trade back into 5th round, draft edge rusher Austin Booker

The Bears made a trade to acquire the 144th overall pick from the Buffalo Bills. Chicago sent a 2025 fourth-round pick to Buffalo in the deal. The 144th pick, funny enough, was the same pick the Bears sent Buffalo in March in a trade for offensive lineman Ryan Bates.

With the pick, the Bears selected Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker. Booker, an Indiana native, had eight sacks for the Jayhawks last season. He’s a 6-foot-4, 253-pound edge rusher with a lanky frame.

Booker began his college career at Minnesota, but didn’t play a whole lot during his first two college seasons. Last year, he transferred to Kansas and earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors. He started only one game for the Jayhawks, but he appeared in 12 and was a key pass rusher coming off the bench.

Bears draft Iowa punter Tory Taylor

The Bears selected Iowa punter Tory Taylor with a fourth-round draft pick on Saturday. Taylor became the 122nd overall pick. He’s also the first kicking specialist drafted this weekend. Taylor is considered one of the top punters in the draft.

He becomes the fourth player drafted by the Bears this weekend, joining USC quarterback Caleb Williams, Washington receiver Rome Odunze and Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie.

Day 3 is underway

The draft resumed Saturday with the fourth round. The Panthers began the day on the clock at No. 101 overall.

The Bears will pick at No. 122 overall. As of now, No. 122 is the Bears’ only selection remaining in the draft.

Bears hold only one pick Saturday

Day two of the draft is in the books. The Bears made one selection, taking Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie with the No. 75 pick.

There remain four rounds of the NFL draft on Saturday, but the Bears could be in for a quiet day. They currently hold only one draft pick, a fourth-round selection (No. 122 overall).

The Bears could look to trade back in order to pick up more selections, but general manager Ryan Poles didn’t sound too concerned by his team’s lack of total picks this week. If the Bears don’t acquire more picks on Saturday, they could complete the draft making only four total selections.

In previous years, Poles traded his way to double-digit draft picks. But this year’s team figures to be much more competitive and more difficult for rookies to make the 53-man roster.

“It’s going to be really hard to make this team,” Poles said prior to the draft. “That doesn’t mean you don’t want more shots later. We’ll always welcome a lot of picks. But it doesn’t force you to panic about the situation we’re in right now with how many picks we have.”

Bears select Yale OT Kiran Amegadjie at No. 75 overall

With no second-round draft Friday night, it was a long wait for the Bears. They entered the night holding only one pick on Friday, a third-round pick at No. 75 overall.

When their turn finally came around, the Bears selected Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie, who went to Hinsdale Central.

Amegadjie became the third Central alumnus, who all played lineman with the Red Devils, selected in the NFL’s draft since 2018. Brian Allen graduated Central in 2014, was selected in the fourth round in 2018 while Doug Kramer graduated in 2016 and was taken in the sixth round in 2022.

His 6-foot-5, 326-pound frame also helped. Amegadjie used his size to become one of the top left tackles in the league, earning all-conference honors in 2022 after starting all 10 games. He played in four games in 2023 because of a season-ending quad injury.

For more on Amegadjie, read Shaw Local’s full story here.

Run on defensive players kicks off night 2

The second round featured flurry of trades to begin the night and numerous defensive players selected after a historically offensive-focused first round.

Four out of the first seven picks Friday were defensive tackles. Atlanta took Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro at No. 35, Washington took Illinois’ Johnny Newton at No. 36, Tennessee drafted Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat at No. 38 and the Rams selected Florida State’s Braden Fiske at No. 39.

A short while later, four cornerbacks were drafted in a row. Philadelphia took Iowa’s Cooper DeJean with the 40th pick, New Orleans drafted Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry at 41st overall, Houston drafted Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter with No. 42 and Arizona selected Rugters’ Max Melton at No. 43

Round 2 begins with pair of WRs

Round two is underway in Detroit. The Buffalo Bills kicked things off by selecting Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman with the 33rd overall pick. The Bills elected to trade down twice on Thursday and did not make a selection in the first round.

Next, the Los Angeles Chargers traded up several spots in order to take Georgia receiver Ladd McConkey and give quarterback Justin Herbert a new weapon.

NFC North check in

The Lions traded up with the Cowboys to No. 24 overall and selected Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. The move sent the home crowd into a frenzy at the draft festivities in Detroit. A trade up was an aggressive move for the defending NFC North champions.

Elsewhere in the NFC North, the Vikings traded up twice, selecting Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy with the No. 10 pick and Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner with the No. 17 pick. The move paves the way for McCarthy to eventually become the starter in Minnesota, even if he spends some time backing up Sam Darnold at first.

Finally, the Packers stood pat at No. 25 and selected Arizona offensive lineman Jordan Morgan.

It was a big night for the NFC North with the Bears and the Vikings both finding their quarterback of the future.

6 quarterbacks drafted in top 12

After 12 picks, half the draft has been quarterbacks.

The Falcons selected Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8. The Vikings traded up and took Michigan’s JJ McCarthy at No. 10. Then Denver stood pat at No. 12 and selected Oregon’s Bo Nix.

The 2024 draft tied the 1983 draft for the most quarterbacks selected in the first round. The 1983 draft – which included John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino – included six QBs selected in the first 27 picks. This year’s draft shattered that record with six in the top 12.

The draft also included 14 consecutive offensive players drafted to start the night. That was not only a record for the most consecutive offensive players to start a draft, but the most consecutive offensive players ever selected at any point of the first round of the draft.

Bears draft Rome Odunze with No. 9 pick

The Bears stood pat with the No. 9 overall pick and selected Rome Odunze, the wide receiver out of Washington.

The Bears will now pair a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams and a rookie receiver in Odunze. Odunze will join a Bears receiver group that includes DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.

Caleb Williams will wear No. 18 for the Bears

The Bears announced that new quarterback Caleb Williams will wear No. 18 on his jersey. Williams wore No. 13 at USC, but the Bears also traded for receiver Keenan Allen, who wore No. 13 for the Chargers for the past decade.

It appears that the 11-year veteran will keep No. 13 and the rookie will don No. 18.

Quarterbacks go 1-2-3

After the Bears drafted Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, quarterbacks continued to fall off the board. The Washington Commanders picked LSU’s Jayden Daniels and the New England Patriots selected North Carolina’s Drake Maye.

There were some reports that the Patriots might consider trading down, but that didn’t come to pass. The top three teams in the draft stayed where they were and selected quarterbacks.

Bears select Caleb Williams

The Bears have a new franchise quarterback.

As most of the NFL community expected, the Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall draft pick Thursday night. Williams was widely considered the No. 1 prospect in the draft and the No. 1 quarterback prospect.

The 22-year-old Washington D.C.-area native is about to take Chicago by storm. He joins a Bears team that went 7-10 last season and appears to be on the rise. He figures to become one of the city’s most recognizable sports stars before he ever plays a game.

Williams attended the draft Thursday night in Detroit wearing a navy blue suit with a zipper along one side and with Chrome Hearts crosses above the breast pocket. He becomes the first quarterback the Bears have ever drafted No. 1 overall. He’s also the first player the team has selected with the No. 1 pick since 1947.

Read more on Williams here.

The Bears are on the clock

The draft is officially underway. The Bears are on the clock after Barry Sanders and other Lions legends kicked things off on stage. Commissioner Roger Goodell thanked a raucous crowd in Detroit and declared the draft underway.

The Bears are on the clock.

Latest trade news for No. 9 pick

Hours before the draft is set to begin, the Bears appear to be considering trade options for the No. 9 pick. A lot, of course, can still change and it heavily depends on how the first eight picks shake out.

Former ESPN analyst Todd McShay is reporting that the Bears are open to trading back – unless a top wide receiver is available. McShay reports that if Washington receiver Rome Odunze is on the board, the Bears might stick at No. 9 and take the playmaker.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini also reported that the Bears are open to trading out of No. 9.

As far as who might come up, Russini reported that the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 17 and the Los Angeles Rams at No. 19 are looking to move up. The San Francisco 49ers at No. 31 are also considering trading either of their top wide receivers Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk in order to move up into the top 10, per Russini.

How can I watch the draft?

The 2024 NFL draft will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network. It also is available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. It can be streamed with NFL Plus, the ABC app or the ESPN app.

Bears draft picks

The Bears currently hold four picks in the 2024 draft, but they could acquire more through trades. Here are the picks they currently have:

• First round: No. 1 overall
• First round: No. 9 overall
• Third round: No. 75 overall
• Fourth round: No. 122 overall