We have a chance to grab the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, and both the Texans and Bears need it

With the NFL entering the final week of the regular season, the #1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is still up for grabs. The Houston Texans have the top pick voting standings, but to secure it they need to lose the final game against the Indianapolis Colts, and the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18 if the Texans beat the Colts. The loss would pave the way for the Chicago Bears to claim his No. 1 pick.

Both the Texans vs. Colts and Bears vs. Vikings games kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, so NFL fans won’t have to wait long to find out who has the top pick in the draft.

The Bears are looking to enter the finale against Minnesota. Starr’s quarterback Justin Fields will be sidelined with a hip injury, leaving backup Nathan Peterman to start. Peterman has been labeled as one of the worst NFL quarterbacks in modern times. The Bears look like they’re missing out on every chance to get the No. 1 pick.

Chicago crosses fingers that former head coach Robbie Smith can work in their favor and beat a bad Colts team on Sunday. is. While the No. 1 overall seems like a big boon for the Texans, Smith made it clear that Houston is looking to win the game against Indy.

Of course, the game also has big draft implications for the Colts. For now, Indianapolis will pick his No. 5 pick. If the Broncos and Cardinals win, he could move up to No. 3 if they lose.

Colts head coach Jeff Saturday also said his team is looking to win the finale.

“The difference when you finish with a win as opposed to finishing with a loss and what it does regardless of the season is just the idea of ​​setting yourself up for the off-season and that’s what it actually is. “It’s about how far we go in 2018,” said Saturday. I’m trying to give

Here’s what the draft order looks like heading into Week 18.

With both the Texans and Bears potentially getting the #1 pick in the draft, here’s what’s at stake.

Why the Texans Need the #1 Pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

The Texans need a quarterback, and there’s no better place to find one than the No. 1 pick in the draft. Davis Mills, a third-round pick in 2021, has given Houston a decent play at QB this year, but he’s not the long-term solution. , they are almost certain to draft a quarterback.

Alabama QB Bryce Young and Ohio State QB CJ Stroud are the two top QBs in their class. Kentucky’s Will Levis is hyped as his No. 3 QB on the board, while Florida’s Anthony Richardson is currently seen as his fourth best QB in class. It is done. Stroud had a phenomenal performance in his college football finals against Georgia in the playoffs, but Young was the frontrunner to be his No. 1 overall pick, regardless of who has the pick. It will be.

Young is small at 6 feet 195 pounds, but he’s an electric playmaker. Alabama’s QB has thrown for 32 touchdowns and his five interceptions this year, and is also a threat to gain yards by running himself. The Texans also have his first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in a trade for Deshawn Watson, who is currently scheduled to be his 12th overall pick. Even if Houston finds its franchise QB, it could add another great talent in this draft to lose another one.

Why the Bears need the #1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

The Bears had a terrible year, but with the development of QB Justin Fields, this deserves to be called a success. Fields became a superstar in his second season in the league, recording the second-fastest yardage of any NFL QB during the season and showing improvement as a passer.

If the Bears get the first pick, they’ll almost certainly consider trading down. That way, any team in the league would open the door to draft Young if they believed he was an easy pick at the top of the draft. With so many teams in the league needing his QB, the Bears could be looking for a ton of picks and players in exchange for the number one.

The bears should not aim for excessive trade downs. Chicago needs help on the defensive line. Georgia’s defensive his tackle Jalen Carter and Alabama’s edge rusher Will Anderson are the top two available defensive his players and both would be big boosts for Chicago. The Bears can also target offensive linemen or wide receivers if they miss Carter and Anderson after the tradedown.

Who’s looking to be number one in the trade? The Texans, Colts, Titans, Falcons, Raiders and Panthers are just a few of the teams ripe to deal with if Chicago wins the first pick. .

There’s a new NFL mock draft next week

Until then, check out JP Acosta’s latest predictions for last month’s first round.