A season ago, the race for the No. 1 pick came down to the wire. It won't be a race in 2023.
The Panthers already locked up the top pick in the draft, which means for the second straight season, the Bears will go into the offseason with a decision to make as to how to handle the top pick in the class.
Last year, Chicago decided to trade the No. 1 overall pick to the Panthers in exchange for wide receiver D.J. Moore, Carolina's first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, as well as a 2023 second and a 2025 second.
But while the race for the top draft pick is over, the rest of the draft is plenty unclear. Heading into the final week of the season, three teams are tied at 4-12, three more are tied at 5-11 and another sits at 6-10. That's not to mention the plethora of teams all hovering between 7-9 and 9-7 that are currently on the outside-looking in for the postseason.
How is the draft looking? Sporting News is tracking the draft order as games unfold throughout Week 18.
NFL DRAFT 2024: SN's latest mock draft | Top 100 big board
NFL Draft order 2024
Here's a look at how the draft order is looking before the start of Week 18.
| Pick | Team | W-L |
| 1 | Chicago Bears (from CAR) | 2-15 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | 4-13 |
| 3 | Washington Commanders | 4-13 |
| 4 | Arizona Cardinals | 4-13 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | 5-12 |
| 6 | New York Giants | 5-12 |
| 7 | Tennessee Titans | 6-11 |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | 7-10 |
| 9 | Chicago Bears | 7-10 |
| 10 | New York Jets | 7-10 |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | 7-10 |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | 8-9 |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | 8-9 |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints | 9-8 |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | 9-8 |
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks | 9-8 |
| 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-8 |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | 9-8 |
| 19 | Green Bay Packers | 9-8 |
| 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-8 |
| 21 | Arizona Cardinals (from HOU) | 10-7 |
| 22 | Los Angeles Rams | 10-7 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-7 |
| 24 | Buffalo Bills | 10-6 |
| 25 | Philadelphia Eagles | 11-6 |
| 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | 11-6 |
| 27 | Houston Texans (from CLE) | 11-6 |
| 28 | Detroit Lions | 12-5 |
| 29 | Miami Dolphins | 11-5 |
| 30 | Dallas Cowboys | 12-5 |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | 12-5 |
| 32 | Baltimore Ravens | 13-4 |
*Teams with picks 19 through 32 are currently in the playoff spots
Notes:
— The Bears hold the Panthers' first-round pick as part of a trade that sent D.J. Moore and the 2023 first overall pick to Carolina during the 2023 NFL Draft.
— The Cardinals hold the Texans' first-round pick as part of a pick swap with Houston during the 2023 NFL Draft.
— The Texans hold the Browns' first-round pick as part of the trade that sent Deshaun Watson to Cleveland.
NFL Draft 2024 top prospects
The 2024 NFL Draft begins with the quarterbacks. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye feel all but certain to battle it out for the top selection in the draft, whether it winds up being the Bears that makes that pick or another team that acquires the pick.
There will be other key players in the mix to go at or near the top of the draft. Ohio State Marvin Harrison Jr. is considered to be a generational talent at wide receiver. There are plenty of other wide receivers who should go early in the first round, including LSU's Malik Nabers, Washington's Rome Odunze and Florida State's Keon Coleman. Tight end Brock Bowers might not be a wide receiver, but he is a potentially elite pass-catcher and a unique talent.
Penn State's Olu Fashanu and Notre Dame's Joe Alt are two standout offensive tackles capable of becoming starters in the league right away. Trying to get past players like those two will be players like defensive ends Laiatua Latu (UCLA) and Jared Verse (Florida State).