Where the Chicago Bears stand in the latest 2023 NFL draft projections

The calendar has turned to December. The weeks remaining in the NFL season are dwindling. The Bears, thanks to a half dozen one-possession losses, have one of the worst records in the league.

It’s never too early to start thinking about next year.

For the Bears, there will be a lot of discussion about the draft over the coming months. This offseason will be all about finding help for quarterback Justin Fields. Who will general manager Ryan Poles target with that in mind?

The Bears have a good chance of picking up a top draft pick. As the losses have mounted, their projected draft slot has continued to shoot up. Here’s where things stand entering Week 14.

Bears projected pick: No. 2 overall

At 3-10, the Bears are projected to have the second overall pick, behind only the 1-10-1 Houston Texans.

With the Bears on a Week 14 bye, two teams have the opportunity to catch up to them. Both at 3-9, the Broncos and Rams could pull even with the Bears with another loss this week. The Broncos face the Chiefs, which doesn’t bode well, and the Matthew Stafford-less Rams have the Raiders on Thursday night. (Note: Both teams have traded their top picks. The Broncos’ pick now belongs to the Seahawks and the Rams’ belongs to the Lions).

The Bears have a tougher strength of schedule than both Denver and Los Angeles. So if those three teams were tied at 3-10, the Bears would be awarded the lowest pick of the three (in this case, fourth overall).

Here’s the projected top 10

Here’s what the top of the draft would look like if the season ended today. The team with the worst record is awarded the first pick, the second-worst record picks second, and so on down the line. If there is a tie, the team with the worse strength of schedule is awarded the higher pick. Strength of schedule is determined by opponents’ combined records.

Projected draft order is according to tankathon.com.

What changed this week?

The biggest change with the top 10 this week was that Green Bay’s win over the Bears vaulted it from No. 8 to No. 11. The Packers are 5-8 and tied with Atlanta for the 10th spot. Like the Bears, the Packers have a really tough strength of schedule. NFC North teams faced the entire AFC East and the entire NFC East this season. Neither division has a single team with a losing record.

With their third consecutive loss, the Colts moved up from 14th to ninth. Conversely, the Raiders keep winning. With their third win in a row, the 5-7 Raiders fell from ninth to 12th.

What to watch this week

The Broncos are 7.5-point underdogs at home against the Chiefs, but Bears fans should be rooting for a Denver win. They also should be rooting for a Rams win over the Raiders.

The Texans are unlikely to beat the Cowboys this week or the Chiefs next week. But they have winnable games to round out their schedule against the Titans, Jaguars and Colts. Their lone win came against Jacksonville, and they tied Indianapolis in Week 1.

The Saints, Colts and Falcons are all on a bye week, so their records will not change. Among the trio of 4-8 teams sitting in spots Nos. 6, 7 and 8, the Panthers visit the Seahawks, the Jaguars go on the road to face the Titans, and the Cardinals host the Patriots. All three are underdogs.