Nothing But Good News for the Bears (And Bad News for GB) in the Latest ESPN Projections
ESPN’s Football Power Index is a unique analytical tool that I keep my eyes on throughout the year.
It might not be Nostradamus, but it helps give me a better feel for the pulse of the league.
And for what it’s worth, it carries some weight as a predictive model. After all, around this time last year, it was warning us about the Bears. To be candid, I balked at the idea of the Bears being the NFL’s worst team at the time. But I know better than to do that again.
In any case, ESPN’s FPI gives us an early look at who could be among the NFL’s worst teams by way of a projection of the top 10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. And if you’re a Bears fan, you’ll want to see this, for a few reasons:
Watching the Packers play poorly enough to pick in the top 10 would be sweet on its own, but that’s just the beginning. The analytics also project the Bears to get a top-10 pick via the Panthers (that epic DJ Moore trade is the gift that keeps on giving). And, of course, you should note that Chicago is NOT projected to wind up in the top-10 with their own pick.
But wait, there’s more!
The Bears have a 4% chance at landing the top overall pick via the Panthers pick. It’s small, to be sure. But those odds aren’t 0%. So I’ll take it.
All in all, this looks wonderful. The Packers drafting in the top 10, but not necessarily in a spot where they’ll be able to take a franchise-changing quarterback, would be absolutely delightful. Especially since I can argue that several teams ahead of them could take a QB. The Cardinals, Bucs, Rams, and Titans could conceivably be looking to draft a quarterback before Green Bay even goes on the clock.
I’d feel better about the potential schadenfreude if the Packers were behind the Commanders and Raiders. Then Green Bay would be behind six teams that could be in the hunt for a top QB prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. They’d probably have to run it back with Jordan Love at that point. And if Love is guiding the team to a place where they’re bad enough to miss the playoffs and miss out on an elite QB prospect, running it back would be A-OK with me.
