2024 NFL Draft order: Week 16 features two top-10 matchups and could create new draft order
Commanders-Jets and Cardinals-Bears will help shape the top of the draft
Ah, is there anything better than the late-season game pitting two bad teams jockeying for position in the NFL Draft against one another? For our purposes, absolutely not!
Week 16 offers two such games for fans of tanking, mock drafts and debating who will drafted by whom and where. And even better for the viewing audience, the games will be played at different times.
First up is the Washington Commanders visiting the New York Jets during the early slate on Sunday, and then in the late segment, the Chicago Bears will welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Soldier Field.
It looks like fans will be treated to a pair of cold-weather games between four bad teams. Surely, that'll help produce two great football games as a result.
But the icing on the cake?
The NFL is ending Christmas Eve with a Sunday night game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. Oh, goodie! Too bad Santa couldn't have flexed a better matchup into that spot.
Bears and Cardinals face off in top-five duel
Under a different set of circumstances, the peg for this game would be the battle of the quarterbacks. Bears quarterback Justin Fields against Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. It's a matchup of two signal-callers who excite the crowd with both their arms and legs.
Instead, this is about to be a very precarious position for both teams. In reality, one team has to win, but this game could very well end in a tie considering we're talking about two teams in the top five for the draft.
A Bears win does less harm for them seeing as they own the Carolina Panthers' first-round pick, so Chicago has more leeway here. For the Cardinals, though? The Commanders would love nothing more than to jump into the top three if Arizona decides to win.
Top-10 matchup between Commanders and Jets
The second game between two teams in the top 10 of the NFL Draft order is the contest between the Commanders and Jets. Neither team in this situation actually wins by winning the game.
Should Washington come out on top, then the Jets would jump ahead of them in the top five. And considering the way that New York showed up in Miami on Sunday, that seems the likely outcome.
But let's say that the Jets do win the game. That could have ramifications for the Commanders beyond staying in the top of the draft. New York isn't a team anyone wants to lose to.
The Dolphins were so unafraid of what the Jets' offense would do that they consistently went for it on fourth downs in the Jets territory, because they knew their defense would just get the ball back. Ouch.
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera is trying to finish the year strong. The Commanders just inserted quarterback Jacoby Brissett into the lineup versus the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, and he nearly led a fourth-quarter comeback.
Panthers welcome the Packers
The Panthers enter this game with a little bit more confidence after upsetting the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers head to Charlotte after allowing Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to leave Lambeau Field with a 34-20 victory.
It hurt the Packers' playoff chances in a ridiculously crowded NFC playoff picture, and now Green Bay must regain its focus and handle business against Carolina.
Seeing as Green Bay still has a shot at the postseason with three games left and Carolina is only playing for pride, this should be nothing more than a simple business trip for the Packers. They understand what's at stake and the pressure is entirely on them.
Who will pick No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Here is the current 2024 NFL Draft order entering Week 16.
Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers)
New England Patriots
Arizona Cardinals
Washington Commanders
Chicago Bears
New York Giants
New York Jets
Los Angeles Chargers
Tennessee Titans
Atlanta Falcons
Green Bay Packers
Las Vegas Raiders
New Orleans Saints
Denver Broncos
Seattle Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers
Arizona Cardinals (via Houston Texans)
Buffalo Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Minnesota Vikings
Los Angeles Rams
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Cincinnati Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs
Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns)
Detroit Lions
Philadelphia Eagles
Miami Dolphins
Dallas Cowboys
San Francisco 49ers
Baltimore Ravens
Latest Yahoo Sports mock draft top 10 (from Nov. 22)
1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers): Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
2. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
3. New England Patriots: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
4. Chicago Bears: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
5. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
6. Tennessee Titans: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
7. Washington Commanders: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
8. Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
9. Green Bay Packers: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Who will be taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Congratulations to the Panthers, who made me eat crow this week. I said I'd wait for someone to point out a winnable game on the remainder of their schedule, and I didn't have to wait very long thanks to Carolina's 9-7 win over the Falcons.
All things considered, I should've known it would be the Falcons to give the Panthers their second win of the season. Sorry to my colleague and diehard Falcons fan Charles McDonald. Seriously, sorry about that, man.
The win doesn't do anything to Carolina, since it doesn't own its first-round pick, but it is a solid morale booster after losing six straight going into Sunday's game.
The Bears are reportedly flirting with the idea of trading away quarterback Justin Fields, so if that's the path Chicago is going down, then the top pick seems pretty straightforward. It just comes down to which quarterback general manager Ryan Pace and company prefer.
Do they like what they've seen from USC's Caleb Williams, or has North Carolina's Drake Maye done enough to sway them in his direction?
Tune into the next episode of Dragon Ball Z — I'm kidding, but if you get the joke, shout out to you — to find out.