Chicago Bears Clinch No. 1 Pick in 2024 NFL Draft

Thanks to the Carolina Panthers, the Bears will enter the offseason with the top draft pick for the second year in a row.

Luke Easterling | Dec 31, 2023

Chicago Bears Clinch No. 1 Pick in 2024 NFL Draft /

The Chicago Bears have locked up the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Thanks to this year's pre-draft trade with the Carolina Panthers, the Bears will head into the offseason with the top pick in the draft for the second year in a row.

Prior to the 2023 draft, the Panthers traded up from the No. 9 pick to No. 1, swapping spots with the Bears by sending a massive haul of premium resources that included Carolina's first-round pick in 2024. Now that the Panthers have clinched the worst record in the league this year, that pick will be the No. 1 selection, and it belongs to the Bears.

Chicago will now have an intriguing decision to make at the top of the draft, as they could take a top quarterback prospect (USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye), opt for a star wide receiver (Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr.), or trade down again for what would likely be an even bigger package than they got from Carolina last time around.

Published Dec 31, 2023

LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more. Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com