Bears clinch No. 1 overall pick with loss, Texans' victory

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After a 29-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears were awarded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

Houston leapfrogged Chicago in the draft order after the Colts were beaten by the Texans. In order to get the top spot in the draft, the Bears had to lose and the Texans win.

The Bears had two three-win seasons in the last three years. Fields didn't play in the finale because of a hip injury. Fields was 64 yards away from the single-season quarterback rushing record. The league's top rushing offense was held by Chicago.

Bolstering the defensive and offensive lines is a priority for Chicago. The Bears had the lowest sacks per game of any team in the league and pressured opposing quarterbacks on less than 2% of dropbacks. Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is the top pick by the Chicago Bears, followed by Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson and Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson. The players could help fix the pass rush.

There are pressing needs at the wideout position. After sustaining a season-ending injury in Week 11, Chicago's leading receiver, Darnell Mooney, finished the season with 493 yards and two touchdown catches. The Bears have only one receiver under contract for the upcoming season. St. Brown extended his contract with Chicago last week.

Should the Bears decide to trade back from the top pick, they will find themselves in a high-leverage position. Houston, Indianapolis, the Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers are quarterbacks who need to be drafted early in the first round. Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis, and Florida's Anthony Richardson are all off the board.

Since the 1940s, Chicago has never drafted first overall.

The Michigan halfback was selected by the Bears as the first pick in the 1940s. He didn't play for the Bears. He played two seasons for the Rams after serving in the military.

Bob Fenimore, a halfback from Oklahoma A&M, was drafted by Chicago as the top pick in 1947. Fenimore was a player for the Bears in 1947.

Several teams have fallen out of the top spot in the draft with wins in the season finale.

The two teams were both 2-13-1 entering the last week of the season. Both teams won their games in Week 18 and Jacksonville and the Lions ended up with the top two picks. The Lions lost to the Cowboys in the finale and fell to 2nd in the draft. Calvin Johnson was taken by the Lions with the first pick. The Padres and Cards both entered Week 17 with 3-12 records and walked away with victories. Eli Manning was taken by the Bolts before they swapped him for Philip Rivers. If the Cards had lost, they would've got the top pick.