For the first time in four weeks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans watched the team drop in the NFL Draft order. The Bucs pulled out a 20-6 win on Sunday over the Tennessee Titans, ending a four-game losing streak and finally getting the team back into the win column.
Beating the Titans did a few other things, too.
Thanks to losses by both the Falcons and Saints, the Bucs are now only a half-game out of first place. Atlanta and New Orleans are their bye week next Sunday while Tampa Bay travels out west to San Francisco, but the race for the NFC South title has once again tightened.
Winning on Sunday also impacted the Buccaneers draft positioning as well. Heading into the game the Bucs held the No. 8 overall pick in the draft, but the win now drops them out of the Top 10 — a small price to pay for getting back into the playoff chase.
Updated NFL Draft Order after Week 10
While the win was celebrated my most fans, there remains a vocal minority who are actively rooting for the team to lose and get a higher draft pick. The fact of the matter is the Bucs aren’t going to get a draft pick high enough to take Caleb Williams, and beyond the USC standout there’s no quarterback worth reaching for when the class is so deep with talent.
Tampa Bay can still land a potentially generational talent in the Top 15, and could even land a quarterback of the future if the team ends up making the playoffs. If that’s the case, though, chances are Baker Mayfield will be viewed as the future and a rookie won’t be brought in.
Here’s how things stack up after the Bucs final won in Week 10:
Pick | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
1 | Chicago Bears (From CAR) | 1-8 |
2 | New York Giants | 2-8 |
3 | Arizona Cardinals | 2-8 |
4 | New England Patriots | 2-8 |
5 | Chicago Bears | 3-7 |
6 | Los Angeles Rams | 3-6 |
7 | Green Bay Packers | 3-6 |
8 | Tennessee Titans | 3-6 |
9 | Denver Broncos | 3-5 |
10 | Atlanta Falcons | 4-6 |
11 | Washington Commanders | 4-6 |
12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-5 |
13 | New York Jets | 4-5 |
14 | Los Angeles Chargers | 4-5 |
15 | Indianapolis Colts | 5-5 |
16 | Las Vegas Raiders | 5-5 |
17 | Buffalo Bills | 5-4 |
18 | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-5 |
One big loser is the Arizona Cardinals. They were once pegged as a team that could land both Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr with the top two picks, but now that Cardinals have neither of those picks. Arizona’s win over the Falcons dropped them to the No. 4 pick, and the Houston Texans are currently in the playoff picture which would make the Cardinals pick outside of the Top 18.