It doesn’t take a crystal ball to forecast that the Bears will take Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Penciling in that foregone conclusion should barely register as making a prediction.
What happens with the other top quarterbacks?
Which teams are going to trade up or trade down?
Which players will be picked higher or lower than the consensus opinion?
Those are the spots where the unexpected could happen beginning Thursday night.
Here are The Post’s five bold predictions for the NFL Draft:
1. This is the most quarterback-heavy first round of all-time
Since the common draft era began in 1967, only three times (1971, 1999, 2021) have quarterbacks been picked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.
Only once (1983) has the first round included six quarterbacks.
So, what do you get when you combine quarterbacks in four of the first five slots for the first time ever with six going in the first round?
A double dose of history.
The Bears (No. 1), Commanders (No. 2), Patriots (No. 3), Giants (No. 6), Vikings (No. 11), Broncos (No. 12), Raiders (No. 13) and Saints (No. 14) are all in the quarterback market.
There may be others, too.
Two teams that don’t get Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy with the first four picks will move around the board to beat the others to the punch so that Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix don’t slide the way Will Levis did to the Titans (No. 33) last year.
2. The Giants and Jets swap spots after the Vikings and Broncos trade up
After the Vikings and Broncos empty the coffers to get into the top five in a way that Giants general manager Joe Schoen is not willing to do, MetLife Stadium’s co-inhabitants make a trade involving No. 6 and No. 10.
What makes this tricky is that — other than quarterback — the teams have similar needs at receiver (Rome Odunze, Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr.), tight end (Brock Bowers) and offensive tackle (Joe Alt, Olu Fashanu, Taliese Fuaga and JC Latham).
Schoen and Joe Douglas share some intel on their own projections and what they think teams in between are thinking to get the job done.
What makes it possible is that the Jets are in win-now mode — willing to deal future picks — and the Giants have holes all over the roster.
Start the package with a mid-rounder this year and a 2025 second-rounder.
3. Three Texas teammates (and a Clemson star) ruin mock drafts
There are plausible scenarios where no defensive player is picked in the top 10 for the first time ever. Whenever the first defensive player is selected, the most likely name to be called is Dallas Turner — followed closely by fellow edge rusher Laiatu Latu, according to BetMGM.
Look no further than the recent string of $90 million-plus contract extensions given to defensive tackles to know that interior pocket-pushers are highly valued.
When the free-agent price goes up at a position, the draft sees a ripple effect.
That makes a winner out of defensive tackle Byron Murphy, who is our bold pick to be the first defensive player taken.
Texas receiver Xavier Worthy still is being left out of first-round mocks.
He rarely is picked higher than No. 24 to the Cowboys despite the Steelers’ need for a receiver at No. 20.
Worthy, who set the NFL Combine record by running a 4.21-second 40-yard dash and adds value as a returner, is not only a first-round pick but a top-23 pick. Keep an eye on the speed-obsessed Chiefs (No. 32) making calls to move up.
If Worthy is in, who falls out? Fellow Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell and Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins, both of whom have some red flags.
4. Brandon Aiyuk gets traded from the 49ers to the Chargers
In a callback to the A.J. Brown (Titans to Eagles) and Marquise Brown (Ravens to Cardinals) trades during the first round of the 2022 draft, the 49ers trade the disgruntled Aiyuk just days after general manager John Lynch said he hopes the receiver is a career-long 49er.
First, the Chargers trade back a few spots from No. 5 to pick up extra draft capital while still landing one of the desired top-four offensive tackles.
The Chargers then package a high second-round pick (No. 37) with some newly gained capital to deal for Aiyuk.
Losing receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in one offseason was not the way to help Justin Herbert take the next step, but the Chargers have much more salary-cap space now ($31.5 million) than they did a month ago.
Other veterans on trade watch include receivers Courtland Sutton and Tee Higgins, pass-rusher Matthew Judon and cornerback Patrick Surtain.
5. The Rams do not make a first-round pick … again
The Rams’ last first-round pick was quarterback Jared Goff in 2016.
Five different trades are responsible for Los Angeles not having a first-rounder in the last seven years.
If you think that’s a drought, consider that Washington made just three first-round picks from 1969-90.
Finally, the Rams are scheduled to pick No. 19. “Scheduled” being the key word.
The Rams deal the pick again — either for a veteran who fits their win-now mindset or for a package of picks inspired by general manager Les Snead’s recent track record of mid- and late-round hits.
