2024 NFL Draft: Here’s where the Bears pick entering Week 12

First, the bad news: The Chicago Bears lost to the Detroit Lions, 31-26, in a heartbreaking fashion in Week 11.

Now, the good news: The Carolina Panthers lost too, and combined with the frustrating Bears’ defeat, Chicago’s 2024 NFL draft position is … fantastic.

I know, I know. You’re sick of tracking draft picks and would rather root for a winning team. We all would. But this is the reality we’ve been dealt, and with a potentially special 2024 draft class on deck, it’s worth keeping one eye on the first-round order while also hoping for the best from Justin Fields and the rebuilding Bears.

About that 2024 NFL draft order…

Thanks to the Panthers’ loss, the Chicago Bears are currently on the clock with the No. 1 pick overall. Carolina remains the only one-win team in the NFL.

The Bears’ first-rounder is slotted No. 4 overall after falling to 3-8.

The New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Bears are the only eight-loss teams in the league, and the Patriots were on a bye in Week 11. The Giants somehow defeated the Washington Commanders on Sunday to grab their third win of the season, which is huge for Chicago’s odds to land the No. 1 pick. The Giants had the second-best chance at the top selection entering Week 11. That won’t be the case anymore.

Bears’ Week 11 loss may have actually been a win

In a perfect world, Justin Fields will continue playing the way he did against the Lions for the rest of the season and silence any concerns about whether the Bears have their quarterback. He was dynamic against Detroit and put Chicago in a position to secure the upset victory. It isn’t his fault that the defense choked in the fourth quarter.

Perhaps that choke job will benefit the Bears in the long run. A win would’ve been great for morale, but the reality is Chicago isn’t going to the playoffs. In a way, the fact that they almost beat the Lions is sort of better than actually beating the Lions. Bears fans know this team is improving, there’s talent on Chicago’s roster. They took what many consider to be the best team in the NFC down to the last 30 seconds of the game before ultimately falling short.

That kind of loss will become a victory when the NFL draft rolls around.

If Fields keeps up this level of play, and the Bears end up with the first overall pick, they can sell it for a king’s ransom. USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye will have quarterback-needy teams begging for the right to draft them, GM Ryan Poles could end up with a bigger haul than he got in the trade that sent the 2023 first-overall pick to the Panthers.

A consistent and productive Fields will increase the odds that Ohio State megastar Marvin Harrison Jr. becomes a Chicago Bear. He’s the best all-around player in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Bears will have the luxury of drafting him as long as QB1 does his part.

Justin Fields did his part in Week 11. And the Bears’ draft pick still improved.

It’s ok, you can smile about that.

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