Mike Clay has rankings for each positional group for every team, and a
downloadable guide with more info on each team. Here's how he rates the Bears' positional groups, from strongest to weakest:
LB (5th), CB (7th), TE (9th), OL (9th), S (9th), WR (11th), RB (17th), ED (19th), QB (25th), DI (28th)
Seems like these are in the right ballpark. D-Line is by far the team's biggest weakness, once they've drafted their QB. They have Montez Sweat and not much else.
Overall the team seems very solid. I think 18/22 starters on the roster now (in 11 & nickel personnel) are averageish or better. The four exceptions are QB, 3 technique DT, DE2, and WR3.
Top needs
QB: Obviously they're taking one at the start of the draft rather than rolling with Bagent+Rypien.
DT/3T: Gervon Dexter was pretty bad last year by PFF grade. So was Zacch Pickens, his competition on the roster. Even if they improve some in year 2, you want to have a 4-player DT rotation and they really don't have anyone besides these two and starting DT/NT Andrew Billings (who is solid at what he does but will probably only play around half the snaps). They'd be way better off with a good 3 tech starting next to Billings, with Dexter & Pickens competing for a larger rotational role behind them.
DE2: DeMarcus Walker was pretty bad last year by PFF grade. Jake Martin and Dominique Robinson aren't good either. Even if you disagree and think he's okay, you want to have a 3 or 4 player DE rotation and they'd be much better off with Sweat & another good DE as their starters, with Walker rotating in behind them and Martin & Dominique Robinson competing to be DE4.
WR3: Tyler Scott probably isn't a NFL starting caliber WR, but he's pencilled in as their WR3. Waldron may want to run a lot of 2 TE sets with Kmet & Everett, but almost every team in the league puts 3+ WRs out there at least half the time
All 4 of these are premium positions, QB most of all; WR3 not exactly, but WR is and if they get someone good then he probably won't stay their WR3 for long. So DT, DE, and WR are the 3 natural targets for their second first-round pick, maybe after trading down. My preference would be to take Malik Nabers at 9 if he's there (because I love him as a prospect) and otherwise try hard to trade down to the mid or late 1st. There are 7 defensive linemen currently projected as 1st rounders (including 2 DTs and ending with 2 Robinsons) and I don't think that any of them stand out that far above the rest so it's a good position group to be targeting later in the 1st round.
Past the first round, more needs are relevant. Looking beyond the 2024 season, and to depth outside the 22 starters, and to upgrade on other slightly below average starters, some additional needs:
Additional needs
IOL of the future: LG Teven Jenkins & C Coleman Shelton are both scheduled to be free agents next offseason, Shelton is probably a slightly below average center, and RG Nate Davis is a cut candidate next offseason if he doesn't play better than he did last year. So they could look to draft a 2025 starter who might push for a job this year, even though 2024 IOL depth isn't a priority given that they traded for Ryan Bates.
swing OT: The starting duo is solid and signed through 2025+, but in the competition for backup OT no one has much guaranteed money (probably) and no one looks that great between Jake Curhan, Matt Pryor, and Larry Borom.
more WRs: It's better to have at least 4 WRs who you trust to see the field, given the likelihood that at least 1 of the top 3 will miss some time. And Keenan Allen will be 32 this season and is only signed for 1 year, which makes DJ Moore the only WR of note under contract for 2025. So it could be useful to add 2-3 WRs, especially if none of them is a first rounder.
another DE: It's great to have a bunch of pass rushers who you can rotate in at DE. Adding 1 DE would still leave Dominique Robinson and Jake Martin competing for the DE4 spot in the rotation, and the Bears could do better than that. Honestly, they could do better than DeMarcus Walker as the DE3.