For those rooting for the San Francisco 49ers to leap into position to obtain the top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, you will have to wait until Week 17. The Cleveland Browns did their part, beating the San Diego Chargers and winning their first game of the season over the weekend. The 49ers could have jumped into the top spot with a loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but that did not happen.
Instead, the 49ers broke their 13-game losing streak and beat the Rams for the second time this season, bumping their record up to 2-13. The win assures that the 2016 squad will not break the franchise record for the least wins in a season.
Now, the 49ers will finish their season on New Year's Eve by hosting the Seattle Seahawks, who lost over the weekend. Obtaining the first pick is still a possibility, but the 49ers would have to lose to the Seahawks and rely on the Browns beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. The latter might be a tall order.
Two sets of teams are tied when it comes to record and SOS. Their draft positions would need to be determined by a coin flip. They are the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts at 7-8 and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens at 8-7.
Below is the current draft order, based on playoff seeding (21-32), record, and strength of schedule (SOS), for all 32 first-round spots if the season ended today. Of course, the order of the bottom 12 teams will eventually be determined by the playoff results and Super Bowl winner.
| Team | W-L | SOS | |
| 1 | Cleveland Browns | 1-14 | .540 |
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 2-13 | .496 |
| 3 | Chicago Bears | 3-12 | .522 |
| 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-12 | .533 |
| 5 | Tennessee Titans (from Rams) | 4-11 | .504 |
| 6 | New York Jets | 4-11 | .522 |
| 7 | San Diego Chargers | 5-10 | .533 |
| 8 | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-9-1 | .527 |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | 6-9 | .513 |
| 10 | Cleveland Browns (from Eagles) | 6-9 | .542 |
| 11 | Arizona Cardinals | 6-8-1 | .478 |
| 12 | Buffalo Bills | 7-8 | .496 |
| 13T | New Orleans Saints | 7-8 | .511 |
| 13T | Indianapolis Colts | 7-8 | .511 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Eagles (from Vikings) | 7-8 | .516 |
| 16 | Tennessee Titans | 8-7 | .462 |
| 17T | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-7 | .507 |
| 17T | Baltimore Ravens | 8-7 | .507 |
| 19 | Denver Broncos | 8-7 | .536 |
| 20 | Washington Redskins | 8-6-1 | .502 |
| 21 | Detroit Lions | 9-6 | -- |
| 22 | Miami Dolphins | 10-5 | -- |
| 23 | New York Giants | 10-5 | -- |
| 24 | Kansas City Chiefs | 11-4 | -- |
| 25 | Houston Texans | 9-6 | -- |
| 26 | Green Bay Packers | 9-6 | -- |
| 27 | Seattle Seahawks | 9-5-1 | -- |
| 28 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-5 | -- |
| 29 | Atlanta Falcons | 10-5 | -- |
| 30 | Oakland Raiders | 12-3 | -- |
| 31 | New England Patriots | 13-2 | -- |
| 32 | Dallas Cowboys | 13-2 | -- |
* 21-32 based on projected playoff seeding, not record or strength of schedule
** Trades show the record of the origin team
