There are just two weeks remaining in the 2023 NFL regular season, which means about half of NFL fans are turning their attention to free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft. For months now, the Chicago Bears have been the favorites to “clinch” the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and that’s not because they stink. In fact, Chicago is actually still in playoff contention! The Bears are favorites to select first this year because of a trade they made this past offseason.
Back in March, the Bears sold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers for wide receiver D.J. Moore, two picks in the 2023 draft, Carolina’s 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. The Panthers used that pick to select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, but the rookie hasn’t helped Carolina’s rebuild. The Panthers are the worst team in the NFL at 2-13, which benefits the Bears, who again, own the Panthers’ first-round pick in this draft.
According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Bears (via the Panthers), have a 95.5% chance to win that No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Who else could challenge Chicago? The Arizona Cardinals have a 4.4% chance, while the rest of the NFL has a 0.1% chance. Carolina currently sits at 2-13, while Arizona is 3-12. If you were curious, the Panthers finish out the season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in Florida this weekend, and then play at home vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As for the Cardinals, they pay a visit to the Philadelphia Eagles this week, then wrap up the season at home vs. the rival Seattle Seahawks.
In the event where a tiebreaker is needed, here is what the NFL says will happen next:
In situations where teams finished the previous season with identical records, the determination of draft position is decided by strength of schedule — the aggregate winning percentage of a team’s opponents. The team that played the…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/race-for-no-1-overall-pick-bears-favorites-to-land-top-choice-in-2024-nfl-draft-cardinals-still-in-the-mix/
Author : Jordan Dajani
Publish date : 2023-12-26 19:42:53
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