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Bears Clinch No. 1 Pick in 2023 NFL Draft
With the Bears’ 29–13 loss to the Vikings on Sunday, on top of the Texans’ 32–31 win against the Colts, Chicago officially secured the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft for the first time since 1947.
The battle for the top spot bounced back and forth between the two teams after Houston came out and led until the fourth quarter in Indianapolis. Then, with 50 seconds left, the Texans scored a touchdown and took the lead thanks to a two-point conversion. The comeback win gives Houston the draft’s second pick.
The Bears finish their 3–14 season on a 10-game losing streak. The team struggled defensively throughout the season, while their rushing game was one of the highlights of the season. The 2022 team broke the franchise record for most rushing yards in a single season with 2,896 yards.
Quarterback Justin Fields led the team’s rushing stats with 1,143, becoming just the third quarterback in history to rush over 1,000 yards. Since he didn’t play Sunday vs. the Vikings, he was 64 yards short of breaking Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record.
Ahead of Week 18, FanNation’s NFL Draft site projected that the Bears would take Alabama edge Will Anderson Jr. with the second pick, though that could change now that Chicago has the top spot.
The 3-13-1 Texans are expected to head into an offseason full of changes, starting with the news that coach Lovie Smith will potentially leave the team after one season.
Houston is projected to be in the quarterback market for the draft. Davis Mills started the majority of the season, but the franchise doesn’t seem too hopeful with Mills as he was benched for Kyle Allen against the Dolphins and Browns.
FanNation’s NFL Draft site originally predicted the Texans would take Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick, but this could change now that the team holds the No. 2 slot.
The 2023 NFL draft will begin on Thursday, April 27 and run through Saturday, April 29.
Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.