On Sunday, Jaguars fans saw quarterback Trevor Lawrence sustain a vicious hit as he was sliding, landing him in concussion protocol and throwing his availability for the rest of the season in question.
They have reason for optimism, though, as their team is still positioned to set the tone for the upcoming draft.
With Sunday’s loss to the Texans, the Jaguars have retained the best chance of landing the No. 1 pick in 2025. But they’re not the only struggling team that did itself a favor in the race for the top overall selection. All nine of the other nine teams currently slated to pick in the top 10 also lost this past week.
Here’s what the top 10 in the draft order looks like through Week 13:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)
2. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
3. New York Giants (2-10)
4. New England Patriots (3-10)
5. Carolina Panthers (3-9)
6. Cleveland Browns (3-9)
7. New York Jets (3-9)
8. Tennessee Titans (3-9)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
10. Chicago Bears (4-8)
As we track the race for the No. 1 pick, spotlighting a different team each week until the final order is set, we arrive at the Bears to kick off December.
Currently pegged to pick 10th, Chicago has spiraled since mid-October and just fired coach Matt Eberflus after the clock-management debacle at the end of its Thanksgiving loss to the Lions. The Bears have lost six straight games, the NFL’s third-longest active streak.
Here’s what FOX Sports NFL writers Henry McKenna and Ben Arthur believe the Bears should do if they get the No. pick.
McKenna: The Bears really really really need help at tackle, but there isn’t one worth taking No. 1 overall. LSU Will Campbell hasn’t wowed this year, but he’s the top tackle. Chicago might be better served chasing a tackle at another point in the draft, perhaps even trading down or — more realistically — trading back into the first round. But we’ll say it a million times: There might not be a QB that draws enough interest to grease the gears for a blockbuster trade for the first pick.
So, let’s imagine the Bears stay put here and take the best player on the board: WR/CB Travis Hunter. They can plug him into the depth chart and see where he fits, starting with cornerback to have him opposite Jaylon Johnson — and replacing Tyrique Stevenson. Because Keenan Allen is a pending free agent, it’s possible Hunter could quickly work into a WR3 role to complement Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore. But Chicago could also allow Hunter to pursue his more natural position on defense first and — in time — see if Hunter somehow turns into the NFL’s Shohei Ohtani.
Arthur: I think the best-case scenario for the Bears is trading back in the top five (if they’re able to) … for Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham.
Before you get up in arms about Chicago’s need to prioritize protection for Caleb Williams, there appears to be no offensive linemen worth taking this high. That’s a point I agree with Henry about. If you’re the Bears, let other teams fight over Hunter and the quarterbacks at the top of the draft (I think this happens, even though this year’s QB class is considered weaker), maximize your draft capital and zero in on an elite prospect like Graham, a game-wrecker at defensive tackle. The Bears have just three interior defensive linemen under contract beyond this season and one of them, Andrew Billings, is currently on injured reserve.
The 6-foot-3, 320-pound Graham has 45 tackles, including seven for loss, and 3.5 sacks this season for Michigan. He’d be a welcome addition to an already solid Bears defense, taking attention away from fellow linemen Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter and pressure off the secondary.
Great teams are built in the trenches, an adage that must be at the forefront of the mind of Bears general manager Ryan Poles, a former offensive lineman. Graham paired with Sweat and Dexter would give Chicago a strong foundation upfront defensively, raising the floor and upside of a defense that will need to continue to support Williams in Year 2.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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