Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order After Sunday's Week 7 Results

After seven weeks of NFL football, it's clear which direction many teams are heading. While some have legitimate playoff aspirations, others are unlikely to end up extending their year beyond the end of the regular season.

The Detroit Lions (1-5) and Houston Texans (1-4-1) each have only one win. There are eight teams with two victories, six of which dropped to 2-5 during Week 7 action. And although 11 weeks remain in the regular season (as well as a Monday night matchup between the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots to wrap up Week 7), some teams appear destined to finish near the bottom of the standings.

However, there is one thing for those struggling teams to look forward to: A potential early pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Here's a breakdown of how the draft order looks at this point in the 2022 season.

1. Detroit Lions (1-5)

2. Houston Texans (1-4-1)

3. Carolina Panthers (2-5)

4. Philadelphia Eagles (via New Orleans Saints) (2-5)

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

6. Seattle Seahawks (via Denver Broncos) (2-5)

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5)

8. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)

9. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4)

10. Chicago Bears (2-4)

11. Atlanta Falcons (3-4)

12. Miami Dolphins (via San Francisco 49ers) (3-4)

13. Arizona Cardinals (3-4)

14. Washington Commanders (3-4)

15. Green Bay Packers (3-4)

16. Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1)

17. New England Patriots (3-3)

18. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)

20. Detroit Lions (via Los Angeles Rams) (3-3)

21. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)

22. Baltimore Ravens (4-3)

23. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

24. Forfeited pick (via Miami Dolphins) (4-3)

25. Tennessee Titans (4-2)

26. New York Jets (5-2)

27. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)

28. Minnesota Vikings (5-1)

29. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)

30. New York Giants (6-1)

31. Buffalo Bills (5-1)

32. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)

Draft order via Tankathon.com.

After the first four weeks of the season, the Lions were 1-3. They beat the Commanders in Week 2, and their three losses were all by four or fewer points in competitive games against the Eagles, Vikings and Seahawks.

So even though Detroit's record wasn't great, there were reasons for the team to be encouraged. Since then, though, things haven't gone nearly as well.

The Lions lost 29-0 to the Patriots in Week 5, and their bye came at an opportune time in Week 6. But they didn't look much better upon their return to action, losing 24-6 to the Cowboys on Sunday.

Detroit now has the worst record in the NFL at 1-5 and its offense (which was impressive early) has been sputtering. In fact, the Lions haven't scored a touchdown since the fourth quarter of their Week 4 loss to the Seahawks.

It's not a given that Detroit will have a top draft pick in 2023, though. It still has two matchups against Chicago (2-4), as well as meetings with Jacksonville (2-5) and Carolina (2-5). So there are winnable games on the schedule down the line.

The Texans were winless after the first four weeks of the season, although they tied the Colts in their season opener.

Houston then built some positive momentum entering its bye week, as it notched its first win of the season (a 13-6 road victory over Jacksonville) in Week 5.

However, the team couldn't pick up where it left off when they returned to action on Sunday. It lost 38-20 to the Raiders in Las Vegas, falling to 1-4-1 on the season.

It was a winnable game for Houston, though, as it had a 20-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. But the Raiders scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth, condemning the Texans to another defeat.

Houston's schedule over the next few weeks is tough, too. Its next three games are against the Titans (4-2), Eagles (6-0) and Giants (6-1).

So, the Texans' season may continue to trend in this negative direction, and it wouldn't be surprising if they end up with an early pick in the 2023 draft.

Few could have predicted that the Panthers were going to win on Sunday.

Last Monday, they traded wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Cardinals and dealt star running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers on Thursday.

So, Carolina lost quite a bit of offensive talent prior to its Week 7 matchup against Tampa Bay.

Yet, the Panthers prevailed against the NFC South rival Buccaneers, and it wasn't particularly close. Carolina's defense had a strong showing against Tampa Bay's Tom Brady-led offense in a 21-3 win.

If the Panthers had lost (as most expected they would), they would have had the worst record in the NFL right now. Instead, they're one of the six teams sitting at 2-5.

It seems unlikely Carolina will finish the season anywhere close to .500, but the NFC South is down this year. So, maybe the Panthers are capable of surprising people, even if they seemed to be in rebuilding mode with their recent moves.

Carolina should end up with an early draft pick, but it will be interesting to see where its season goes from here (and if more trades are on the horizon).