We still have four weeks left in the regular season, but the NFL Draft order is going to change between now and when the top half is locked in.
Look no further than the situation the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in.
After starting the season 3-1, the Bucs fell into a crater and lost six of their next seven games. It wasn't until this past Sunday that the team was able to string together back-to-back wins for the first time since Septmber, but all of that losing still didn't give the team the top pick everyone thought they'd tank for before the season.
Tampa Bay is back in first place in the NFC South, which means the team is in line to host a playoff game in January. A lot can change between now and then, but the Buccaneers are teetering on the brink between two wildly different outcomes to the season.
Updated NFL Draft Order after Week 14
While winning was nice, the closer the Buccaneers edge toward the playoffs the further from ahigh draft pick they drift. Heading into last Sunday they were looking at a Top 10 pick but now the Bucs have tumbled all the way to No. 20 overall.
If they make the playoffs, the highest the Bucs will pick this year is No. 19 overall -- just like last year. Teams that make the postseason are eligible for a top pick no matter what their record is, which means the Bucs could once again pick way out of order thanks to winning the division.
Of course, that whole argument goes away if Tampa Bay can manage to finish the season a winning record and outright make the playoffs rather than get in on a technicality.
Here's the updated NFL Draft order for the Bucs and the rest of the NFL:
Pick | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
1 | Chicago Bears (via Panthers) | 1-12 |
2 | New England Patriots | 3-10 |
3 | Arizona Cardinals | 2-8 |
4 | Washington Commanders | 4-9 |
5 | Chicago Bears | 5-8 |
6 | Las Vegas Raiders | 5-8 |
7 | New York Jets | 5-8 |
8 | New York Giants | 5-8 |
9 | Tennessee Titans | 5-8 |
10 | Los Angeles Chargers | 5-8 |
11 | Atlanta Falcons | 6-7 |
12 | New Orleans Saints | 6-7 |
13 | Seattle Seahawks | 6-7 |
14 | Los Angeles Rams | 6-7 |
15 | Denver Broncos | 7-6 |
16 | Arizona Cardinals (via Texans) | 7-6 |
17 | Buffalo Bills | 7-6 |
18 | Cincinnati Bengals | 7-6 |
--- | NFL PLAYOFFS CUTOFF | --- |
19 | Green Bay Packers | 6-7 |
20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-7 |
21 | Indianapolis Colts | 7-6 |
22 | Minnesota Vikings | 7-6 |
23 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-6 |
24 | Houston Texans (via Browns) | 8-5 |
25 | Kansas City Chiefs | 8-5 |
26 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-5 |
27 | Detroit Lions | 9-5 |
28 | Philadelphia Eagles | 10-3 |
29 | Miami Dolphins | 9-5 |
30 | Dallas Cowboys | 10-3 |
31 | San Francisco 49ers | 10-3 |
32 | Baltimore Ravens | 10-3 |
All three NFC South teams will have Top 12 picks, although only two of them will actually be running cards up to the podium. No matter how bad things are for the Bucs -- and even the Saints and Falcons -- nothing is worse than what's going on in Carolina.
The Panthers are barrelling toward having the No. 1 pick this year, but they'll be sending it to the Chicago Bears as part of the Bryce Young trade last April. It's comical how bad of a spot the Panthers are in without any hope of it getting better anytime soon.
As for the Bucs, they remain equal distance away from getting a Top 10 draft pick and hosting a playoff game next month. Thus is a Bucs Life through and through.