The 2024 NFL draft is finally almost just around the corner. On Thursday, Apr. 25 at 7 p.m. the Bears will be on the clock to turn in their card and make their presumptive selection of quarterback Caleb Williams official.
Beyond that though, the exact timing of when the Bears’ picks will come in is a little hazy. If you’re looking to just tune in when GM Ryan Poles makes his selections with the No. 1 and No. 9 overall pick, it will be hard to get just right. But we’re here to help.
WHEN WILL THE BEARS MAKE THEIR 2024 NFL DRAFT PICKS
The first pick is easy to predict, but after that things get tough. The Bears have almost certainly made their decision for the No. 1 overall pick already. Their evaluation of Williams is done, and their decision not to bring in other highly-touted QBs for a top-30 visit, like Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels, tells you everything you need to know. However the Bears pick might not come right at 7 p.m. Each team has 10 minutes to make its pick in the first round, so if the Bears want to do the league a solid and extended TV coverage in pursuit of the almighty advertising dollar, they could wait a bit before they turn in their card.
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Given each team has 10 minutes to make their pick, the latest the Bears would make their selection with the No. 9 pick would be 8:30 p.m., give or take a few minutes for the TV coverage and audiences to settle in before the action begins. Not all teams take the full 10 minutes, though. A quick Google search says the first round typically takes about four hours to complete. That averages out to seven and a half minutes per pick. This extremely scientific method indicates the Bears will be on the clock for their No. 9 pick at 8 p.m.
Of course, the Bears might not use the No. 9 pick at all! A trade up doesn't feel likely at this point, but Poles has made aggressive moves in the past to get his guys. If a big time player like Marvin Harrison Jr. or Joe Alt starts to fall, we can’t rule out a surprising move to snag an elite talent. On the other hand, if the top players on the Bears’ board are all gone by the time they’re back on the clock, Poles could decide to trade back and recoup some picks.
In either case, the timing for when they’d make their second draft pick would be very different.
Chicago Bears
HOW MUCH TIME DOES EACH TEAM HAVE TO PICK IN THE NFL DRAFT
The amount of time NFL teams have to decide on their picks varies by round. As mentioned above, every team is allotted 10 minutes per pick in the first round. From there the league picks up the pace. Teams get seven minutes per pick in the second round, then five minutes per pick for rounds three through six. For round seven, teams only get four minutes to make their picks. As soon as a team hands in its draft selection card to an NFL runner, the clock resets for the next pick.
Given the numerous variables from the start of the second round to the start of the third round– where the Bears are slated to make the No. 75 pick– and the start of the fourth round– where they have the No. 122 pick– I won’t even hazard a guess as to when the Bears will be on the clock on days two and three.
WHAT HAPPENS IF A TEAM RUNS OUT OF TIME BEFORE MAKING DRAFT PICK?
If a team allows the clock to expire without making a pick, the next team in line has the opportunity to turn in their card for the next pick instead. However, the team that ran out of time doesn’t forfeit the pick entirely. They can still make their pick later, whenever they turn in their card.
HOW LONG IS THE NFL DRAFT
The draft takes three days, beginning on Thursday, Apr. 25 and ending on Saturday, Apr. 27. The first round takes place on Thursday evening. Rounds two and three are on Friday. The draft concludes with a marathon session on Saturday when NFL teams go through rounds four through seven.
HOW MANY PICKS DO THE BEARS HAVE IN THE 2024 NFL DRAFT?
As things stand the Bears have four selections this year: the Nos. 1, 9, 75 and 122 picks.
Poles got this year’s No. 1 overall pick in the deal that sent last year’s No. 1 overall pick to Carolina. He acquired the No. 122 overall pick from Philadelphia when they swapped places with the Bears last year to draft Jalen Carter. The Bears ended up with Darnell Wright after that move.
The Bears’ second-round pick belongs to the Commanders thanks to the move that brought Montez Sweat to Chicago. The Chargers have their fourth-rounder due to the Keenan Allen trade. The Bears sent their fifth-round pick to Buffalo for versatile interior offensive lineman Ryan Bates and their sixth-round pick to Miami for fellow interior o-lineman Dan Feeney. In 2022, the Bears traded away their seventh-round pick to the Dolphins for wide receiver N’Keal Harry.
Poles is no stranger to trading draft picks, so their list of selections could change anytime between now and the end of the draft.
WHAT IS THE 2024 NFL DRAFT PICK ORDER?
Here’s the exact order for the first round of this year’s draft. As mentioned above, this order can change at any time with a trade.
- Bears (via CAR)
- Commanders
- Patriots
- Cardinals
- Chargers
- Giants
- Titans
- Falcons
- Bears
- Jets
- Vikings
- Broncos
- Raiders
- Saints
- Colts
- Seahawks
- Jaguars
- Bengals
- Rams
- Steelers
- Dolphins
- Eagles
- Vikings (via CLE)
- Cowboys
- Packers
- Buccaneers
- Cardinals (via HOU)
- Bills
- Lions
- Ravens
- 49ers
- Chiefs
