The San Francisco 49ers will wind up with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after falling 48-32 to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17.
San Francisco was still in position for the top pick in April's draft, yet the Arizona Cardinals ended up losing 27-24 to the Seattle Seahawks, securing the No. 1 overall selection as a result.
But the Niners still needed to have some help around the league to ensure they'd retain the second pick over the New York Jets, who also finished 4-12 on the season after losing to the New England Patriots today. Fortunately, the Dallas Cowboys pulled off an exciting win over the New York Giants, while the Atlanta Falcons edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- both games coming in the early slate of games in Week 17.
With those two outcomes, the 49ers' strength of schedule for 2018 dropped lower than that of the Jets, meaning San Francisco gets the better selection.
As things stand now, the NFL Draft order is as follows:
It's important to remember head-to-head matchups don't matter for draft order.
Two years ago, the Niners finished with the No. 2 overall pick entering the 2017 NFL Draft. General manager John Lynch traded down from No. 2 to the No. 3 pick, grabbing defensive end Solomon Thomas in the process.
The 2019 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 25 from Nashville, Tennessee.
Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
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