The 2020 NFL Draft was loaded with first and second round talent, giving teams ample opportunity to add weapons to their roster and fill team needs.
For some, like the Baltimore Ravens, gaps were addressed in hopes of making a Super Bowl run next season. For others, like the Green Bay Packers, some questionable decisions were made in terms of having a “win-now” mentality.
The Chicago Bears headed into the draft in the bottom half of the NFL odds of winning Super Bowl 55. According to the sportsbooks monitored by FanDuel, the Bears had the 19th-best chances of earning the Lombardi Trophy. Unfortunately, when all was said and done, those odds slipped even lower.
What are the Bears’ odds of winning Super Bowl 55?
The very-early odds for the NFL championship heading into the 2020 NFL Draft — the first virtual draft ever held by the league — found the Bears sitting at +3600 in sportsbooks managed by FanDuel.
After Chicago’s selections over the seven rounds, many of which were criticized by pundits, the Bears maintained their position as the 19th-ranked team, but their odds decreased to +4000.
The Bears didn’t do themselves any favors by selecting Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet with their first pick, No. 43 during the second round. The team, at the time, had nine other tight ends on the roster (though they are cutting that down), including Jimmy Graham, who signed during the offseason on a two-year, $16 million contract. The Bears struggled at tight end in 2019, mostly due to injuries, and failed to have a player at that position compile at least 100 receiving yards for the first time since 1970.
The team did have Trey Burton, who suffered a groin injury that limited him to just five starts and playing time in only eight total games, until they released him April 17. He caught 14 passes for 84 yards and no touchdowns. Burton, who had off-season surgery and is expected to be available for training camp, had career-high numbers in 2018 with 54 receptions for 569 yards and six touchdowns. He has since signed with the Indianapolis Colts on a one-year deal.
Chicago waited until the seventh round to address the glaring team need on the offensive line when it picked Arlington Hambright out of Colorado. They also selected Tennessee State offensive tackle Lachavious Simmons in the seventh round.
How does the rest of the NFC North compare?
The Green Bay Packers, who won the NFC North in 2019, entered the draft as the top divisional team in terms of Super Bowl odds. According to FanDuel sportsbooks, the Packers were tied with the New England Patriots for the ninth-best odds of winning the championship at +2200. Following the draft, the Packers, who failed to address several team needs such as wide receiver, maintained that position, though their odds fell to +2300.
The Minnesota Vikings were tied for 13th, along with the Los Angeles Rams, at +2600 odds in the pre-draft analysis. Afterward, the Vikings were still tied for 13th, though this time with the Buffalo Bills at +2700 odds.
The Detroit Lions maintained their position as the 25th-ranked team in the sportsbooks monitored by FanDuel, and their odds of +6600 remained the same as well.
Which teams had the best and worst odds before and after the draft?
Unsurprisingly, the Kansas City Chiefs are the favorites to take home the NFL championship next season, carrying odds of +650 both pre- and post-draft. Behind them with the second-best odds are reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, holding steady with +700 odds, while the San Francisco 49ers kept their +900 odds to remain in third.
The teams with the largest jumps in odds from pre-draft to post-draft are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bucs went from being tied for fifth-best odds with the Dallas Cowboys at +1700 to being the only team ranked fifth with +1500. The Chargers were tied for 17th with the Cleveland Browns prior to the draft at +3400 and became the sole team in 17th at +3200 odds following their selections.
Besides the Chicago Bears, the largest drops in odds were to the Buffalo Bills (from +2400 to +2700), the Denver Broncos (+5500 to +6000) and the lowest-ranked Jacksonville Jaguars (+16000 to +20000).
