2022 NFL Draft Order: Updated 1st-Round Listings After Week 17
The competition for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft is down to two teams.
The Jacksonville Jaguars sit in the top spot of the projected first-round order going into Week 18. The Detroit Lions reside in second place.
Jacksonville needs a loss to the Indianapolis Colts to clinch the No. 1 overall pick for the second consecutive year.
Detroit is a half-game behind the Jaguars in the standings because of its Week 10 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Lions need a defeat to the Green Bay Packers and a Jaguars win to earn the No. 1 overall pick.
The Houston Texans, New York Giants and New York Jets are all guaranteed to pick inside the top six after falling to 4-12 with Week 17 losses.
The two New York franchises will likely have a pair of top-10 selections each. They just need to figure out which order their selections and the ones acquired from the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks will fall.
2022 Projected 1st-Round NFL Draft Order
1. Jacksonville: 2-14
2. Detroit: 2-13-1
3. Houston: 4-12
4. New York Jets: 4-12
5. New York Giants: 4-12
6. Carolina: 5-11
7. New York Jets (via Seattle): 6-10
8. New York Giants (via Chicago): 6-10
9. Washington: 6-10
10. Atlanta: 7-9
11. Denver: 7-9
12. Minnesota: 7-9
13. Cleveland: 7-8
14. Philadelphia (via Miami): 8-8
15. New Orleans: 8-8
16. Baltimore: 8-8
17. Pittsburgh: 7-7-1
18. Las Vegas: 9-7
19. Philadelphia: 9-7
20. Los Angeles Chargers: 9-7
21. Philadelphia (via Indianapolis): 9-7
22. Miami (via San Francisco): 9-7
23. New England: 10-6
24. Arizona: 11-5
25. Buffalo: 10-6
26. Cincinnati: 10-6
27. Dallas: 11-5
28. Tampa Bay: 12-4
29. Kansas City: 11-5
30. Detroit (via Los Angeles Rams): 12-4
31. Tennessee: 11-5
32. Green Bay: 12-3
Updated order via Tankathon.
Jacksonville Is 1 Loss Away from No. 1 Overall Pick
The Jacksonville Jaguars are one loss away from earning the No. 1 overall pick in back-to-back drafts.
The AFC South side lost its eighth consecutive game in dubious fashion against the New England Patriots on Sunday. New England torched the Jags defense for 50 points.
Jacksonville did not score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, and the same fate could greet it in Week 18 against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are in the thick of the AFC wild-card race, so there will be a lopsided matchup inside TIAA Bank Field.
Trevor Lawrence and Co. only lost by six points to the Colts in the teams' first meeting this year, but that was all the way back in Week 10. Come Sunday, most of Jacksonville's players will be ready for the offseason, while the Colts have all the motivation in the world to win in north Florida.
If Jacksonville loses, it will have the second No. 1 overall pick in franchise history. That player will join Lawrence under a new head coach for the 2022 season.
Top-10 Order Still to Be Decided
There are four seven-win teams, three with four or six wins and one with five victories entering Monday.
One of the seven-win franchises will leave that group Monday. The loser of the Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers game will still be in contention for a top-10 pick.
The Houston Texans, New York Jets and New York Giants are guaranteed to pick inside the top six because of the gap between themselves and the six-win squads.
Houston owns the worst strength of schedule among the three teams, and it will likely lose to the Tennessee Titans, who are fighting for the AFC's No. 1 seed, in Week 18. The Jets visit the Buffalo Bills, who need a win to capture the AFC East, while the Giants are set to take on the Washington Football Team.
If all three teams lose in Week 18, they will pick inside the top five. An unlikely win by any member of that trio could shift them to the No. 6 pick. The Carolina Panthers are 5-11 and play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to close the regular season.
The Giants and Jets should have one more pick each in the top 10. The former have the Chicago Bears' first-round selection from the trade that brought Justin Fields to the Windy City. The latter own the Seattle Seahawks' top pick from the Jamal Adams trade.
Seattle visits the Arizona Cardinals, who are in the mix for the NFC West crown, so a defeat is likely in the cards. Chicago, meanwhile, takes on the Minnesota Vikings.
Washington and Minnesota have the best chances to win of the teams that could pick in the top 10. Victories by those two, plus a potential upset or two, should shake up the bottom half of the top 10 from where it stands now.