Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order After Sunday's Week 13 Results
The final few weeks of the 2021 NFL season might see a fight for the No. 1 overall pick.
The Detroit Lions made that a possibility with Sunday's win over the Minnesota Vikings. Dan Campbell's team is now 1-10-1 and still leads the race to pick first in the 2022 NFL draft, but one more win changes the complexion of the competition.
The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars both lost again in Week 13. They sit at 2-10 and are hoping for the Lions to win one more game. In that scenario, the Lions would leap the AFC South sides because of the tie they earned against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After those teams, the reality of having four selections in a row from the New York franchises is becoming more of a reality. The New York Jets and New York Giants both lost Sunday. The Giants' second first-round pick from the Chicago Bears remained in good standing after they lost to the Arizona Cardinals.
Even though the Seattle Seahawks won Sunday, their first-round pick that goes to the New York Jets still resides inside the top seven.
2022 1st-Round NFL Draft Order
1. Detroit: 1-10-1
2. Jacksonville: 2-10
3. Houston: 2-10
4. New York Jets: 3-9
5. New York Jets (via Seattle: 4-8)
6. New York Giants (via Chicago: 4-8)
7. New York Giants: 4-8
8. Atlanta: 5-7
9. Carolina: 5-7
10. Minnesota: 5-7
11. New Orleans: 5-7
12. Philadelphia (via Miami: 6-7)
13. Philadelphia: 6-7
14. Denver: 6-6
15. Las Vegas: 6-6
16. Cleveland: 6-6
17. Philadelphia (via Indianapolis: 7-6)
18. Pittsburgh: 6-5-1
19. Miami (via San Francisco: 6-6)
20. Washington: 6-6
21. Cincinnati: 7-5
22. Los Angeles Chargers: 7-5
23. Buffalo: 7-4
24. Detroit (via Los Angeles Rams: 8-4)
25. Dallas: 8-4
26. Kansas City: 8-4
27. Baltimore: 8-4
28. Tampa Bay: 9-3
29. Tennessee: 8-4
30. Green Bay: 9-3
31. New England: 8-4
32. Arizona: 10-2
Race for No. 1 Pick Is Potentially on
Detroit has a win and a tie among its past four games.
The Lions are still on top of the projected draft order, but that status could change with one more positive result. The team has two realistic chances left to earn a second win, and they come in consecutive weeks.
Detroit visits the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16 and then makes a trip to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17. Neither of those teams will be playing for anything significant at that juncture. A wild-card fight seems too unlikely because they have a ton of flaws.
Detroit's direct competition for the No. 1 overall pick will come from the loser of the Week 15 clash between the Jaguars and Texans in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars visit the Tennessee Titans in Week 14, while Houston welcomes Seattle to NRG Stadium. If both teams are defeated in those games, the loser of their Week 15 battle will get the No. 2 overall selection at the very least.
The Lions are trending in as good of a direction as a 1-10-1 team could at this point of the season. If they use Sunday's win to build momentum, they could shock us with one or two more wins.
The ideal situation for Detroit is to remain competitive and still lose out so that it gets the first shot at the best talent coming out of the collegiate ranks.
New York Teams in Great Shape to Have 4 Top-10 Picks
Seattle's home win over the San Francisco 49ers did not make a ripple in the projected draft order.
The Seahawks were one of a few three-win teams going into Week 13, and their victory kept their first-round selection inside the top five, which is right where the Jets want it.
The Jets head into Week 14 with the No. 4 and No. 5 overall picks. They have Seattle's top selection from the Jamal Adams trade. The Jets should have some concerns about where Seattle's pick will land, though. The Seahawks have one of the easiest closing schedules, including games against the Lions, Texans and Chicago Bears.
The Week 16 clash between the Seahawks and Bears will affect the draft for both New York teams since the Giants own Chicago's first-round pick from the 2021 draft trade that saw Justin Fields head to the NFC North.
Chicago faces the Green Bay Packers in Week 14 and the Vikings twice in Weeks 15 and 18. In between the Vikings clashes are games against the Seahawks and Giants.
If the Bears lose their three remaining divisional games, the results against Seattle and New York might not matter as much to the draft order.
There are only four five-win teams and three four-win franchises in the NFL, so if the Bears finish with five or six victories, the Giants should still have two top-10 picks.
The Jets have one potential win left on their schedule in the form of Jacksonville in Week 16, while the Giants' best chance for a win is against the Bears in Week 17.
At minimum, the Giants and Jets should have at least one top-10 pick each, and if Seattle fails to capitalize on its victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, both teams could have a pair of top-10 selections.