The Chicago Bears are on the clock.
With the early window of Week 18 games officially closed, the window for securing the No. 1 pick is shut, as well. The Bears finished out their season with a loss, securing the top spot in the draft order and kicking off three months' worth of speculation. Will the Bears stand pat at No. 1 overall? Will they trade the pick for a haul? Will they entertain taking a QB?
In the No. 2 spot is the Texans, who finished out their regular season with a rare victory. Houston flirted with the No. 1 pick for the majority of the season — but Lovie Smith and Davis Mills helped guide the Texans to a crazy win over the Colts in Week 18, snatching the No. 2 pick from the Bears, and potentially keeping them out of reach of a franchise-altering passer in Bryce Young.
The next few months will be fun to watch. Expect wheeling and dealing as the calendar inches ever-so-closely to April 27.
MORE 2023 NFL DRAFT: SN's latest mock draft | Top 75 big board
NFL Draft order 2023
How the draft order stands entering the Week 18 "Sunday Night Football" matchup between the Lions and Packers:
| Pick | Team | W-L-T |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Bears | 3-14 |
| 2 | Houston Texans | 3-13-1 |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinaals | 4-13 |
| 4 | Indianapolis Colts | 4-12-1 |
| 5 | Seattle Seahawks (from DEN) | 5-12 |
| 6 | Detroit Lions (from LAR) | 5-12 |
| 7 | Las Vegas Raiders | 6-11 |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | 7-10 |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | 7-10 |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles (from NO) | 7-10 |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | 7-10 |
| 12 | Houston Texans (from CLE) | 7-10 |
| 13 | New York Jets | 7-10 |
| 14 | New England Patriots | 8-9 |
| 15 | Green Bay Packers | 8-9 |
| 16 | Washington Commanders | 8-8-1 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-8 |
| 18 | Detroit Lions | 9-8 |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-9 |
| 20 | Seattle Seahawks | 9-8 |
| 21 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-8 |
| 22 | New York Giants | 9-7-1 |
| 23 | Baltimore Ravens | 10-7 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Chargers | 10-7 |
| 25 | Dallas Cowboys | 12-5 |
| 26 | Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 |
| 27 | Minnesota Vikings | 13-4 |
| 28 | Denver Broncos (from SF via MIA) | 13-4 |
| 29 | Buffalo Bills | 13-3 |
| 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | 14-3 |
| 31 | Philadelphia Eagles | 14-3 |
*Teams with picks 19 through 31 are currently in the playoff spots.
Notes:
— The Eagles hold the Saints' first-round pick as part of a pick swap with New Orleans during the 2022 NFL Draft.
— The Texans hold the Browns' first-round pick as part of the trade that sent Deshaun Watson to Cleveland.
— The Seahawks have the Broncos' first-round pick as part of the compensation in the Russell Wilson trade.
— The Lions have the Rams' first-round pick because of the Matthew Stafford trade.
— The Broncos traded pass-rusher Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins for a first-round pick prior to the 2022 NFL trade deadline. That pick formerly belonged to the 49ers, who traded it to Miami as part of the package to move up to draft Trey Lance in 2021.
— The Dolphins don't have their own first-round pick after being sanctioned by the NFL for tampering violations regarding Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
NFL Draft 2023 top prospects
There could be three first-round quarterbacks come next April: Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Kentucky's Will Levis.
It appeared Young was leading the pack before bowl season. Young and Stroud were considered the best passers entering this year's draft, with Levis' standing something of a mixed bag. Some consider the Kentucky passer to be a first-round talent, while others believe he may fall out of the first round completely. Levis' physical traits are legitimate, but questions about his processing and decision-making remain.
Outside of the QBs, several game-wrecking defenders should be top-10, if not top-five, selections. Alabama's Will Anderson and Georgia's Jalen Carter will jockey for first defensive player off the board in 2023. Clemson's Myles Murphy could also find himself in that discussion.