The San Francisco 49ers entered Monday as the proud (projected) owners of the No. 3 overall pick in next year's draft. That's not a bad situation to be in for a team still looking for a top-tier pass rusher and with other roster holes to fill.
San Francisco's situation further improved on Monday night thanks to the Oakland Raiders' 27-14 victory over the Denver Broncos. The Raiders were situated at the No. 2 spot in the draft order behind only the Arizona Cardinals. The Monday-night win drops them two spots to No. 4 while the 49ers supplant the Raiders at the No. 2 spot.
While the 49ers, Raiders, and New York Jets all own matching records of 4-11, Oakland has a stronger strength of schedule (.533) compared to the 49ers and Jets. Strength of schedule is used as a draft-order tiebreaker when comparing multiple teams with matching records. San Francisco's strength of schedule (.484) is also weaker than New York's (.496) giving it the slight edge between the two teams.
Nothing changes if you prefer to include each team's Week 17 opponent. The 49ers strength of schedule sits at .504 with the Jets at .506 and the Raiders at .546 in that scenario.
Only one more week remains in the 2018 season. The 49ers will travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sunday. The New England Patriots will host the Jets while the Kansas City Chiefs host the Raiders.
For those still hopeful for the No. 1 overall pick, feel free to root for the Cardinals to beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Although, if you are a Niners fan, you are likely to root against Seattle regardless.
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