Projected 2024 NFL Draft order: Bears clinch No. 1 pick, three teams battling for No. 2 entering Week 18
Projected 2024 NFL Draft order: Bears clinch No. 1 pick, three teams battling for No. 2 entering Week 18 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The end of the NFL regular season is upon us, and while some teams are looking ahead to the playoffs, others can start turning their attention to April.
The race for top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft is on. Through 17 weeks, there is one two-win team, three four-win teams and several others eliminated from the postseason mix.
Losses could effectively serve as wins in the long run for those franchises with two touted quarterbacks and a standout wide receiver at the top of draft boards.
Which team would have the No. 1 draft pick if the season ended today? Let’s take an early look at the 2024 NFL Draft order and some of the top prospects who could hear their names selected first overall in Detroit this spring.
2024 NFL Draft order through Week 17
The Chicago Bears are on the clock – even though it isn’t even their own selection.
The team owns the Carolina Panthers’ 2024 first-rounder after trading down from No. 1 overall in 2023. The Panthers used that pick on Bryce Young, whose rocky rookie season continued Sunday with a shutout loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The defeat brought the Panthers to 2-14 on the year, clinching them the league’s worst record.
The Bears are on track for another top-10 pick entering Week 18. At 7-9, Chicago would also have the No. 10 selection in the 2024 draft.
The Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, respectively, would follow the Bears at the top of the draft. All three teams share a 4-12 record, but Washington currently sits at No. 2 based on the strength of schedule tiebreaker.
Here is a look at the current projected 2024 NFL Draft order among teams that would not be in the playoffs if the season ended on Jan. 2:
1. Chicago Bears (via CAR, 2-14)
2. Washington Commanders, 4-12
3. New England Patriots, 4-12
4. Arizona Cardinals, 4-12
5. New York Giants, 5-11
6. Los Angeles Chargers, 5-11
7. Tennessee Titans, 5-11
8. New York Jets, 6-10
9. Atlanta Falcons, 7-9
10. Chicago Bears, 7-9
11. Las Vegas Raiders, 7-9
12. Minnesota Vikings, 7-9
13. New Orleans Saints, 8-8
14. Denver Broncos, 8-8
15. Seattle Seahawks, 8-8
16. Cincinnati Bengals, 8-8
17. Arizona Cardinals (via HOU, 9-7)
18. Pittsburgh Steelers, 9-7
Top 2024 NFL Draft prospects
The 2024 draft class is headlined by two quarterbacks and the son of a Hall of Famer.
USC QB Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, entered the year as the projected No. 1 pick. While he put up strong stats (30 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and 11 rushing touchdowns) and kept his team in games, the Trojans lost five out of six games to close out the regular season while giving up 34.9 points per game on the year.
North Carolina QB Drake Maye declared for the draft and has entered the mix as a potential No. 1 pick. He had 24 passing touchdowns, nine rushing touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2023 and has drawn comparisons to Justin Herbert.
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is widely viewed as the top non-QB in the draft class. He was an All-American as a sophomore with the Buckeyes and continued to improve his stock as a junior.
Elsewhere, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu and Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt are among the players who could end up in the top five.
