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The San Francisco 49ers would own the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft if the season ended after Week 14. Of course, that would leave NFL coaches and players wondering why they don't get to play the final three weeks of the season.
San Francisco has been holding onto the top spot for four straight weeks, and Sunday's victory over the Denver Broncos didn't change anything. That's because the Oakland Raiders, the other two-win team entering Week 14, also won.
Now, three 3-10 teams remain. The 49ers have the benefit of owning a weaker strength of schedule in games played so far, which is used as a tiebreaker between teams with matching records, compared to the Arizona Cardinals and Raiders.
Oakland's upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped it a spot to No. 3 in the draft order — again, if the season ended today. Arizona leapfrogs both Oakland and the New York Jets for the No. 2 spot while San Francisco remains at No. 1.
Monday night's game between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks had no impact on the top of the draft order, but with three weeks remaining, things could change quickly.
The 49ers still have the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Rams remaining on their schedule, and that's where things get complicated. All three of those opponents are well above .500, which means San Francisco's strength of schedule is about to see a boost throughout the next three weeks.
The combined records of the 49ers' remaining opponents (28-11) place their combined winning percentage at a .718. Even if San Francisco loses to the Seahawks on Sunday, it's not necessarily a full benefit when it comes to their draft status. Seattle's record will improve, which will impact the 49ers' strength of schedule.
Of course, this is all assuming the Cardinals and Raiders lose out.
Arizona has the Atlanta Falcons, Rams, and Seahawks remaining on their schedule. The combined records of those opponents (23-16) place those teams' winning percentage at .590.
Oakland has the Cincinnati Bengals, Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs remaining. The combined records of those opponents (22-17) place those teams at .564.
San Francisco has the stronger opponents down the stretch, and it's not even close. In the end, this doesn't mean a whole lot right now. How high the 49ers will actually select will be determined by the rest of the season, their final record, and the final records of a select few other teams.
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 |
San Francisco 49ers |
3-10 |
.485 |
| 2 |
Arizona Cardinals |
3-10 |
.515 |
| 3 |
Oakland Raiders |
3-10 |
.568 |
| 4 |
New York Jets |
4-9 |
.479 |
| 5 |
Atlanta Falcons |
4-9 |
.524 |
| 6 |
Buffalo Bills |
4-9 |
.527 |
| 7 |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
4-9 |
.541 |
| 8 |
New York Giants |
5-8 |
.491 |
| 9 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
5-8 |
.503 |
| 10 |
Detroit Lions |
5-8 |
.527 |
| 11 |
Cincinnati Bengals |
5-8 |
.556 |
| 12 |
Green Bay Packers |
5-7-1 |
.485 |
| 13 |
Cleveland Browns |
5-7-1 |
.533 |
| 14 |
Carolina Panthers |
6-7 |
.456 |
| 15 |
Washington Redskins |
6-7 |
.488 |
| |
Philadelphia Eagles |
6-7 |
.488 |
| 17 |
Denver Broncos |
6-7 |
.547 |
| 18 |
Indianapolis Colts |
7-6 |
.456 |
| 19 |
Miami Dolphins |
7-6 |
.476 |
| 20 |
Tennessee Titans |
7-6 |
.521 |
| 21 |
Minnesota Vikings |
6-6-1 |
-- |
| 22 |
Baltimore Ravens |
7-6 |
-- |
| 23 |
Seattle Seahawks |
8-5 |
-- |
| 24 |
Los Angeles Chargers |
10-3 |
-- |
| 25 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
7-5-1 |
-- |
| 26 |
Oakland Raiders (from Cowboys) |
8-5 |
-- |
| 27 |
Oakland Raiders (from Bears) |
9-4 |
-- |
| 28 |
Houston Texans |
9-4 |
-- |
| 29 |
New England Patriots |
9-4 |
-- |
| 30 |
Los Angeles Rams |
11-2 |
-- |
| 31 |
Green Bay Packers (from Saints) |
11-2 |
-- |
| 32 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
11-2 |
-- |
* 21-32 based on projected playoff seeding, not record or strength of schedule
** Trades show the record of the origin team
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, ESPN contributors have highlighted some prospects who have seen their draft stock rise throughout the evaluation process. Jordan Reid and Matt Miller pinpointed players who could hear their names called at the end of the first round.
Interestingly, both of the prospects identified by Reid and Miller play in the trenches but on different sides of the ball. The San Francisco 49ers are widely expected to draft an offensive lineman with their first selection—No. 31 overall. The team mostly ignored the group in free agency. However, it wouldn't surprise many people if the
The San Francisco 49ers are likely hoping that a top offensive lineman drops to them at No. 31 in the first round of this month's draft. Fans would like to see the team add someone to compete with Colton McKivitz for the right tackle spot and potentially take over for Trent Williams when the future Hall of Famer decides to retire.
Having two studs bookending the offensive line would go a long way in protecting franchise quarterback Brock Purdy. While tackle may be the first-round target, depending on how the first 30 selections play out, San Francisco might have to trade up to get a genuinely impactful
Last week, it was reported that the San Francisco 49ers planned to host former Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips on a pre-draft visit. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo confirms that the visit will take place during the upcoming week, which marks the final opportunity for such visits to occur.
Phillips will also meet with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans this week.
Adding a noteworthy tidbit to the social media post, Garafolo mentions, "A likely second-round pick, though some evaluators have first-round grades on
