Steelers' Rooting Guide for 2022 NFL Draft Implications of Week 9

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are in an unfamiliar position in 2022. Through eight weeks of the season, they are more likely to get a top-10 draft pick than a playoff spot.

So while fans can usually start peeking at the scoreboard on Sundays to figure out what seed they would be if the playoffs start they can start scoreboard-watching with an eye on the draft now.

The Steelers haven't earned a top-10 pick since they took Plaxico Burress with the eighth selection in the 2000 draft. They did take Devin Bush with the No. 10 pick in the 2019 draft but they had to trade up all the way from No. 20 to get there.

Plenty has gone wrong for the Steelers this season. T.J. Watt's injury is chief among them. However, there are some serious holes in the roster and getting a high draft pick is something that will help strengthen them in the long run.

So here's a look at where the Steelers currently stand and a few games fans should have a rooting interest in.

1. Detroit Lions (1-6)

2. Houston Texans (1-6-1)

3. Carolina Panthers (2-6)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6)

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)

6. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)

8. Philadelphia Eagles (via New Orleans Saints) (3-5)

9. Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns) (2-5)

10. Seattle Seahawks (via Denver Broncos) (3-5)

11. Arizona Cardinals (3-5)

12. Chicago Bears (3-5)

13. Green Bay Packers (3-5)

14. Detroit Lions (via Los Angeles Rams) (3-4)

15. Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1)

16. Cincinnati Bengals (4-4)

17. New England Patriots (4-4)

18. Washington Commanders (4-4)

19. Atlanta Falcons (4-4)

20. Denver Broncos (via San Francisco 49ers) (4-4)

21. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)

22. Seattle Seahawks (5-3)

23. New York Jets (5-3)

24. Forfeited pick (via Miami Dolphins) (5-3)

25. Baltimore Ravens (5-3)

26. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)

27. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)

28. New York Giants (6-2)

29. Tennessee Titans (5-2)

30. Minnesota Vikings (6-1)

31. Buffalo Bills (6-1)

32. Philadelphia Eagles (8-0)

Draft order via Tankathon.com.

If the draft were today, the Steelers would have the fourth pick. Their 2-6 record has them tied with the Carolina Panthers (third) and Jaguars (fifth) but their strength of schedule (.519) puts them right between their contemporaries.

By ESPN's FPI projections, the Steelers have a 15.8 percent chance of getting the first pick in the draft, a 66.8 percent chance of earning a top-five pick and a 91.6 percent chance to be picking in the top 10.

There's still plenty of season to be played and the Steelers do have many of the foundational pieces that were on the team that went 9-7-1 last season, though so there's a better chance they figure things out and move down the draft board as compared to the Panthers and Jaguars who were bad last season.

The Steelers last hope for the season to get everything together is the bye week then a stretch in which they play the Saints, Bengals, Colts and Falcons.

If they can't put together a winning record during that stretch, they will continue the trend toward picking in the top five.

Panthers at Bengals, 1 p.m. ET

Steelers fans would be rooting against their AFC North rivals anyway, but they could have their tie with the Panthers broken if they pull an upset against the Bengals.

While Joe Burrow's side is going to be the favorite, there's reason to have shaky confidence in them. The Bengals are coming off a 32-13 drubbing from the Cleveland Browns while the Panthers have shown signs of fight since Steve Wilks took over for Matt Rhule. They beat the Bucs 21-3 in Week 7 and followed it up by taking the Falcons to overtime in a 37-34 loss.

The Bengals' offense struggled without Ja'Marr Chase against the Browns so the receiver's absence could once again hurt them.

Raiders at Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET

This one is probably the draft implications game of the week. Both teams have two wins so they are right there with the Steelers. So it's probably best to root for the team with the best chance to turn things around with a win.

That would be the Raiders. The team has their fair share of dysfunction but there's still an outside chance they can turn the ship. According to ESPN's NFL FPI, the Raiders have had the 10th-toughest schedule to this point in the season, however, their rest of the season schedule is just 28th.

Vegas was a playoff team last year and have had a hard time acclimating to new head coach Josh McDaniels. With an easier schedule and more time to figure things out it's possible they go on a run and get out of the top ten. That would need to start in Jacksonville, though.

Ravens at Saints, Monday Night, 8:15 p.m. ET

This is another case of Steelers fans getting to root against an AFC North rival while also hoping for improved draft positioning. The New Orleans Saints host the Ravens on the tipping point between contending for a playoff spot and having a lost season.

What's good about the 3-5 Saints from a draft perspective is that they have no incentive to tank for their own pick. They already traded it away to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Saints are still just one game back from the 4-4 Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South so a playoff berth is well within reach. However, it's going to be difficult to get there with Andy Dalton at quarterback.

A win for the Saints would only further those hopes and potentially put them in a tie with the Falcons for the division lead. A loss would put them three games below .500 and make them a threat to the Steelers draft slot.