Sure, the NFL Draft is months away and yes the 2023 regular season has yet to come to an end, but the Chicago Bears are already celebrating a big “win” in regards to their draft capital.
With the Carolina Panthers losing to the the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-0 and with the Arizona Cardinals shocking the Philadelphia Eagles, the Panthers will finish the season with the worst record in the NFL meaning that the Bears will have the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
This will mark the second year in a row that the Bears will own the top overall pick in the draft, and the Bears traded the 2023 1st overall pick to the Panthers back on March 10th, 2023 in exchange for the ninth and 61st overall selections in the 2023 draft, Carolina’s 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-rounder and veteran wide receiver DJ Moore.
The Panthers would use the top pick to select Bryce Young, who has not had the best rookie season, especially when comparing Young to fellow rookie CJ Stroud of the Houston Texans, who is garnering Pro Bowl and Rookie of the Year considerations.
Bears current head coach Matt Eberflus didn’t seem too enthralled speaking about the top pick to NFL journalists on Sunday.
“I really don’t give attention to it right now,” Eberflus said, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “I don’t think we’re picking tomorrow, you know what I mean? So the focus … for you to do your job the right way is you got to be here right now, get your eyes forward for the next thing.”
“Like I said many times, my eyes are forward on the corrections of this game,” Eberflus said. “I really don’t pay attention to that, and I’m a football coach, right? So I know there’s always going to be noise out there, good or bad, and if you listen to either one of them, guess what — you ain’t doing your job.
“And for me, doing my job is focusing on the men in that locker room and the coaches and the development of the Chicago Bears, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Whether the Bears will entertain taking a quarterback with the top pick, signaling a change of guard from Justin Fields, is a storyline to watch in the coming months.
