It appeared likely that the San Francisco 49ers might drop in the projected draft order following a Week 11 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Giants. Then the improbable happened. The Giants upset the heavily-favored Chiefs in overtime on Sunday, improving their record to 2-8, which is a game better than the 1-9 49ers.
The Giants victory means the 49ers remain slotted at the number two spot in next year's draft. Now, if only the New Orleans Saints, whose second-round selection is owned by the 49ers, could manage to lose a few games before it is all said and done. San Francisco traded away its own second-round pick for former New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Of course, the number one spot belongs to the still-winless Cleveland Browns. How high the 49ers will actually select will be determined by the rest of the season and their final record.
San Francisco has six remaining opponents on its schedule. They are the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams. Those teams have a combined record of 33-27. Four of the 49ers' final six opponents have winning records.
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 | 0-10 | .550 |
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 1-9 | .510 |
| 3 | New York Giants | 2-8 | .510 |
| 4 | Indianapolis Colts | 3-7 | .470 |
| 5 | Denver Broncos | 3-7 | .510 |
| 6 | Chicago Bears | 3-7 | .620 |
| 7 | Cincinnati Bengals | 4-6 | .460 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-6 | .460 | |
| 9 | New York Jets | 4-6 | .470 |
| 10 | Oakland Raiders | 4-6 | .490 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Chargers | 4-6 | .510 |
| Cleveland Browns (from Texans) | 4-6 | .510 | |
| 13 | Miami Dolphins | 4-6 | .520 |
| 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-6 | .530 |
| 15 | Washington Redskins | 4-6 | .630 |
| 16 | Dallas Cowboys | 5-5 | .470 |
| 17 | Buffalo Bills | 5-5 | .480 |
| 18 | Green Bay Packers | 5-5 | .540 |
| 19 | Seattle Seahawks | 6-4 | .420 |
| 20 | Detroit Lions | 6-4 | .510 |
| 21 | Baltimore Ravens | 5-5 | -- |
| 22 | Atlanta Falcons | 6-4 | -- |
| 23 | Tennessee Titans | 6-4 | -- |
| 24 | Carolina Panthers | 7-3 | -- |
| 25 | Buffalo Bills (from Chiefs) | 6-4 | -- |
| 26 | Los Angeles Rams | 7-3 | -- |
| 27 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 7-3 | -- |
| 28 | New Orleans Saints | 8-2 | -- |
| 29 | Minnesota Vikings | 8-2 | -- |
| 30 | New England Patriots | 8-2 | -- |
| 31 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-2 | -- |
| 32 | Philadelphia Eagles | 9-1 | -- |
* 21-32 based on projected playoff seeding, not record or strength of schedule
** Trades show the record of the origin team
*** Teams with similar records and SOS will have a coin flip as a tiebreaker
Comments