Who will end up with the No. 1 pick of the 2017 NFL Draft? Here's a look at four Week 17 games that will determine how the top of the draft order shakes out.
Records:Browns: 1-14; Steelers: 10-5
Where they stand:A loss or a tie against Pittsburgh clinches the No. 1 pick for the Browns. If Cleveland wins, it still could clinch the top pick -- in that scenario, a San Francisco 49ers win or tie against the Seattle Seahawks would clinch the No. 1 pick for the Browns. The worst-case scenario for the Browns' top pick is the No. 2 overall selection. Here's how that could happen: A Browns win over the Steelers combined with a 49ers loss to the Seahawks would leave the Browns and 49ers tied for the NFL's worst record at 2-14. If that happens, a strength-of-schedule tiebreaker would determine who ends up with the No. 1 pick (the team with the lower SOS picks first). Entering Week 17, San Francisco's SOS percentage (.496) is lower than Cleveland's (.540), so the 49ers hold the tiebreaker edge for now. Those percentages will change after the final week of action, but the Browns are not currently in a good position for the No. 1 pick if the SOS tiebreaker comes into play.
Records:49ers: 2-13; Seahawks: 9-5-1
Where they stand:The 49ers still have a shot to clinch the No. 1 pick, as spelled out above. Alone with the NFL's second-worst record entering the final week of the season, the No. 2 pick is San Francisco's to lose. A Browns loss or tie combined with a 49ers loss or tie would lock the 49ers into the No. 2 selection. A 49ers upset of the Seahawks could open other possibilities for San Francisco's place in the draft order, ranging from the No. 2 pick to the No. 4 pick.
Records:Bears: 3-12; Vikings: 7-8
Where they stand:As of this week, the Bears are slotted for the No. 3 pick of the draft, due to a narrow strength-of-schedule tiebreaker edge over Jacksonville (.522 to .533). If the Bears lose to the Vikings, they'll pick no lower than No. 4 overall. The highest Chicago can get in the draft is the No. 2 pick, but that possibility would only be opened by a San Francisco win over Seattle combined with a Bears loss to Minnesota. The Bears would have to win an SOS tiebreaker with the 49ers, and possibly the Jaguars as well. If the Bears beat the Vikings, Chicago's pick could range from No. 3 to No. 6, depending upon other Week 17 outcomes.
Records:Jaguars: 3-12; Colts: 7-8
Where they stand:The Jaguars enter the final week slotted in the No. 4 draft position, trailing the Bears in the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker (.522 to .533; team with lower SOS picks first when there's a tie). Like the Bears, the Jaguars will pick no lower than No. 4 with a loss, and no lower than No. 6 with a win. Best-case draft scenarios for the Jaguars are the No. 2 pick with a loss, and the No. 3 pick with a win.
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