The San Francisco 49ers continue to win with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback and that is good news for the rebuilding franchise as it heads into its second offseason under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. However, it is bad news for the 49ers' draft position.
Following the team's 44-33 Week 16 victory over the playoff-bound Jacksonville Jaguars, the 49ers endured their largest drop of the season falling from the fourth-overall selection to number eight in the draft order.
The positioning is based on if the season ended today -- which, in case you were wondering, it does not. The 49ers still have one game remaining – a December 31 matchup at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against the Los Angeles Rams.
While the 49ers own the same record as the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears, San Francisco's strength of schedule places them third within that group of teams.
How high the 49ers will actually select will be determined by next weekend's result and their final record.
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 | 0-15 | .498 |
| 2 | New York Giants | 2-13 | .538 |
| 3 | Indianapolis Colts | 3-12 | .498 |
| 4 | Cleveland Browns (from Texans) | 4-11 | .529 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-11 | .547 |
| 6 | Denver Broncos | 5-10 | .476 |
| 7 | New York Jets | 5-10 | .502 |
| 8 | San Francisco 49ers | 5-10 | .507 |
| 9 | Chicago Bears | 5-10 | .542 |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals | 6-9 | .458 |
| 11 | Oakland Raiders | 6-9 | .507 |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | 6-9 | .542 |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | 7-8 | .480 |
| 14 | Green Bay Packers | 7-8 | .538 |
| 15 | Washington Redskins | 7-8 | .564 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Chargers | 8-7 | .467 |
| 17 | Dallas Cowboys | 8-7 | .476 |
| 18 | Buffalo Bills | 8-7 | .498 |
| Detroit Lions | 8-7 | .498 | |
| 20 | Seattle Seahawks | 9-6 | .489 |
| 21 | Tennessee Titans | 8-7 | -- |
| 22 | Atlanta Falcons | 9-6 | -- |
| 23 | Baltimore Ravens | 9-6 | -- |
| 24 | Carolina Panthers | 11-4 | -- |
| 25 | Buffalo Bills (from Chiefs) | 9-6 | -- |
| 26 | New Orleans Saints | 11-4 | -- |
| 27 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 10-5 | -- |
| 28 | Los Angeles Rams | 11-4 | -- |
| 29 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 12-3 | -- |
| 30 | Minnesota Vikings | 12-3 | -- |
| 31 | New England Patriots | 12-3 | -- |
| 32 | Philadelphia Eagles | 13-2 | -- |
* 21-32 based on projected playoff seeding, not record or strength of schedule
** Trades show the record of the origin team