The San Francisco 49ers were projected to own the No. 12 overall draft pick heading into Week 16. A loss could have shot them up to the No. 10 spot in the draft order — not that anyone should be rooting for losses.
Following the team's victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, San Francisco now sits at the No. 14 slot with one more Week 16 game on the NFL schedule. And yes, that game could impact the 49ers' draft position.
The Buffalo Bills will travel to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots tonight, and the road-team is a touchdown favorite. However, at this point, it would benefit the 49ers more if the Patriots knocked off the Bills.
As of Monday morning, New England is projected to select at the No. 15 overall spot. The Patriots own a 6-8 record while the 49ers sit at 6-9. Should Bill Belichick's squad fall to 6-9, it would push the 49ers down to the No. 15 spot due to New England's matching record and weaker strength-of-schedule (SOS). If the Patriots win, they stay put.
San Francisco would have benefited from a Denver Broncos win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, but the Broncos ended up losing. Both teams entered the weekend 5-9, but Denver's SOS is much higher than any other 6-9 team that it would have immediately shot past the 49ers down the draft order with a win.
The 49ers still have one more game to play before closing the books on the 2020 season. They will host the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium on Sunday. The Seahawks opened as 4.5-point favorites.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets are the only teams to clinch their draft positions. They own the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks, respectively.
Current First-Round Draft Oder
TEAM, RECORD, STRENGTH-OF-SCHEDULE
- Jacksonville Jaguars, 1-14, .548
- New York Jets, 2-13, .593
- Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans), 4-11, .542
- Atlanta Falcons, 4-11, .550
- Cincinnati Bengals, 4-10-1, .527
- Philadelphia Eagles, 4-10-1, .531
- Detroit Lions, 5-10, .504
- New York Giants, 5-10, .506
- Carolina Panthers, 5-10, .529
- Denver Broncos, 5-10, .567
- Dallas Cowboys, 6-9, .465
- Los Angeles Chargers, 6-9, .490
- Minnesota Vikings, 6-9, .508
- San Francisco 49ers, 6-9, .544
- New England Patriots, 6-8, .529
- Oakland Raiders, 7-8, .542
- Arizona Cardinals, 8-7, .473
- Indianapolis Colts, 10-5, .444
Only the top 18 spots are listed above as the remainder will be based on the playoffs' outcome.
