This is a look at the first-round order for the 2020 NFL Draft heading into Week 15, along with the top three needs for each team. The order is determined by record, using strength of schedule as the first tiebreaker (click here to see a full list of the draft-order tiebreakers). Keep in mind -- teams 21-32 would make the playoffs if the season ended today and are marked as PL (short for playoffs) in the order below. The draft order for playoff teams is determined by the results of postseason play.
The Week 15 slate brings us a game with major draft-order implications, as the Giants -- currently holding the No. 2 overall pick -- will host the Dolphins (No. 4) on Sunday afternoon. A Miami team that so many expected to be picking first in 2020 could knock itself out of the top five (gasp!) with a win. Or the Giants could create a very interesting race for the No. 2 selection. That's just an appetizer, though.
You want potentially draft-order-shaking matchups? Week 16 is your gold mine. Feast your eyes on this trio: Bengals at Dolphins, Giants at Redskins and Jaguars at Falcons. Those are six of the top eight teams in the draft order as of today. And with one game separating the Bengals and Giants in the standings right now, the No. 1 overall pick could still be in play heading into Week 17. Juicy.
The needs for each team listed below offer just a snapshot of the areas that project to require the most attention as of today. Draft needs for NFL teams don't crystallize until the spring, after free agency plugs some holes and creates others, but we are firm believers that it's not too soon to see what might be coming around the corner.
Arrows indicate how far up or down a team has moved relative to last week.
**Previous week:** No. 1
**This week's game:** vs. Patriots
**Biggest needs:** QB, OL, LB
History is on Cincy's side when it comes to its chances of securing the first overall pick. The last two times the Bengals started the season 1-12 (1993, 2002), they ended up with the draft's No. 1 selection. And no, it doesn't appear that Andy Dalton is going to go out in a blaze of glory, after failing to throw for a TD and posting his fifth sub-70.0 passer rating of the season on Sunday.
**Previous week:** No. 2
**This week's game:** vs. Dolphins
**Biggest needs:** OT, edge rusher, DB
That might be a tough loss to fathom for Giants fans, but if you'd care to reach for a silver lining ... draft positioning! Although the No. 2 pick is still in peril for the G-Men, with winnable games against the Dolphins and Redskins awaiting them.
**Previous week:** No. 3
**This week's game:** vs. Eagles
**Biggest needs:** OL, CB, pass catcher
The Redskins might be scrappy, but their offense is still far from where it needs to be to compete against top competition. Washington allowed four sacks and four other QB hits against Green Bay on Sunday. This offense ranks last in the NFL with 14.5 points per game, 262.4 YPG and 161.3 pass YPG.
**Previous week:** No. 4
**This week's game:** at Giants
**Biggest needs:** QB, OT, edge rusher
Miami failed to put a TD on the board against a Jets defense that didn't have its best player (Jamal Adams) Sunday, which serves as a reminder of the work ahead for a team that has already exceeded expectations by winning three times and playing competitive ball most weeks. The Dolphins have to find themselves a QB and his blindside protector. That's just a start.
**Previous week:** No. 6
**This week's game:** vs. Buccaneers
**Biggest needs:** CB, OL, edge rusher
Matt Patricia's squad finds itself holding a top-five pick after starting the season 2-0-1. I suppose that'll happen when you lose nine out of 10. The unraveling on offense is somewhat understandable, given that the Lions are starting their third different QB this season, but the defensive issues for a Patricia-coached team have to give fans pause. He just hasn't figured out how to jumpstart his pass rush. Detroit has one or fewer sacks in eight games this season (tied for the most in the NFL).
**Previous week:** No. 7
**This week's game:** vs. Browns
**Biggest needs:** Defensive playmaker, OL, pass catcher
The Cardinals couldn't protect Kyler Murray when they needed to against the Steelers' four-man rush on Sunday. The team has reportedly been negotiating extensions for pending free agents LT D.J. Humphries and C A.Q. Shipley, but maintaining the status quo up front seems unwise.
**Previous week:** No. 10
**This week's game:** at Raiders
**Biggest needs:** CB, front-seven playmaker, OL
The Jaguars, who were 4-4 at midseason, have now lost five straight games by 17 or more points, the league's longest such single-season streak since 1986. Yikes. They can draft the best player available because this team could use help everywhere.
**Previous week:** No. 5
**This week's game:** at 49ers
**Biggest needs:** Edge rusher, DB, OL
The Falcons are back to playing like the team they were supposed to be from the jump in 2019, but I don't think a strong finish changes the outlook for what this team needs to accomplish in the offseason. 1) Bolster a pass rush that has been absent far too often. 2) Get some insurance for Keanu Neal. 3) Give Matt Ryan (on pace for a career high in sacks) better protection than he had this season.
**Previous week:** No. 8
**This week's game:** at Ravens
**Biggest needs:** OL, edge rusher, CB
The Jets eked out a victory over the Dolphins a week after getting blown out by the Bengals, but that might be Gang Green's last W of 2019, with the Ravens, Steelers and Bills remaining on the slate. Those are the type of opponents that should remind everyone of why O-line is the foremost need in Gotham.
**Previous week:** No. 9
**This week's game:** vs. Vikings
**Biggest needs:** OL, QB, CB
Are the Chargers about to have one of their trademark furious finishes, or are they just way better right now than the flatlining Jaguars? My guess is the latter, but we shall see. This much we know: The Bolts' O-line is one of the league's worst and has to be improved, whether it's Philip Rivers or someone else taking the snaps next season.
**Previous week:** No. 12
**This week's game:** vs. Seahawks
**Biggest needs:** DB, OL, DL
QB rises to the top of the needs list if the Panthers part with Cam Newton this offseason ( Kyle Allen is proving he's not the answer in his sustained audition). For now, the secondary stands out as an area where there could be holes to fill, with starters James Bradberry, Ross Cockrell and Tre Boston due to hit the market.
**Previous week:** No. 11
**This week's game:** at Chiefs
**Biggest needs:**OL, interior D-line, DB
Barring a catastrophic fizzling out in the next few weeks, Drew Lock should enter 2020 as Denver's QB1. The question of the offseason for the Broncos: Whom does John Elway trust on this offensive line beyond Dalton Risner?
**Previous week:** No. 13
**This week's game:** at Redskins
**Biggest needs:** DB, WR, edge rusher
Philly's secondary is still broken. Ultimately, it didn't cost them a much-needed win on Monday night, but this group made 38-year-old Eli Manning look like a spring chicken at times.
**Previous week:** No. 17
**This week's game:** at Saints
**Biggest needs:** DL, pass catcher, DB
Indy has now dropped five of its last six, with three of those losses coming against the Steelers' Mason Rudolph, Dolphins' Ryan Fitzpatrick and Buccaneers' Jameis Winston. Not exactly QB royalty. The Colts produced just five sacks in those three games combined, including only one against Winston on a day when he threw 45 passes. Chris Ballard needs more guys who can throw offenses off schedule on a consistent basis.
**Previous week:** No. 18
**This week's game:** vs. Jaguars
**Biggest needs:** CB, WR, edge rusher
Maxx Crosby has been a sensation in Year 1, and I know the team has great expectations for
Clelin Ferrell, but I'm afraid the
Raiders' work on their pass rush off the edge is not done. Oakland has produced a grand total of two sacks in the last three games.
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**Previous week:** No. 14
**This week's game:** at Lions
**Biggest needs:** QB, OL, DB
Another week, another Winstonian treat from Jameis, who racked up a career-high 456 yards, four TD passes and ... three INTs while playing through a right thumb injury in a win over the Colts. There continues to be a lot of good from the Bucs' QB1. Just not enough to outweigh the bad.
**Previous week:** No. 15
**This week's game:** at Cardinals
**Biggest needs:** OT, S, interior OL
If Odell Beckham Jr. has his way, maybe wide receiver will be on the needs list for the Browns this spring. Either way, getting better at both tackle spots and right guard will have to be high on John Dorsey's to-do list.
**Previous week:** No. 19
**This week's game:** vs. Texans
**Biggest needs:** OL, RB, QB
Until there's some clarity from the Titans that they intend to do whatever it takes to keep free-agent-to-be Derrick Henry in Nashville, running back has to be on the radar here. Ryan Tannehill, on the other hand, is playing like a top-10 QB and it seems the only question is whether he's back on the franchise tag or a long-term deal, so QB moves the down the needs list for the second week in a row.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Rams
**Biggest needs:** DB, pass catcher, DL
Dak Prescott's contract situation will get most of the attention this offseason, but don't forget -- this team has nine other starting players due to reach free agency in 2020. The circumstances seem to be ripe for a house-cleaning by Jerry Jones when you couple the looming roster churn with potential coaching staff changes.
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**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Steelers
**Biggest needs:** WR, CB, DE
The Bills ran into one of the league's stingiest defenses on Sunday, and they couldn't get much going through the air. Josh Allen's stat line vs. the Ravens: 17 of 39 for 146 yards and a TD. Brandon Beane should be shopping this offseason for a big target who can play outside and become a menace in the red zone.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Chargers
**Biggest needs:** OL, DB, DL
Unless they decide to move left tackle Riley Reiff inside -- something they reportedly considered last offseason -- an upgrade at right guard over Josh Kline should be high on the Vikings' wish list. Keep in mind that Minnesota is going to need to create some salary-cap flexibility.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Broncos
**Biggest needs:** LB, CB, OG
If there's one area on the Chiefs' much-improved defense that's crying out for improvement, it's linebacker, where one starter at the position -- Reggie Ragland -- is headed for free agency.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Bears
**Biggest needs:** OT, pass catcher, ILB
Same old story. Wide receivers not named Davante Adams were not much of a factor, as they combined for three catches for 30 yards in a close call against the Redskins on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers needs some more weaponry at the position.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Bengals
**Biggest needs:** TE, OL, S
These positions aren't listed here for now, but the front seven on D could have a hole or two this offseason, depending on how free agency shakes out. Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy and Danny Shelton are due to hit the market.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Colts
**Biggest needs:** DB, interior OL, WR
Call it knee-jerk if you'd like, but DB rises to the top of the needs list this week after a 349-yard, four-TD performance by 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo in New Orleans. Pending free agent Eli Apple's play has dropped off of late, and fellow DBs Vonn Bell and P.J. Williams are also in a contract year.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Panthers
**Biggest needs:** DL, OL, DB
Seattle didn't really have it in the trenches on either side of the ball Sunday night, registering zero sacks and only one tackle for loss against what's been a porous L.A. O-line. As for the offense, the Seahawks allowed their MVP candidate to be sacked five times and hit on six other occasions. In fact, this team has allowed five or more sacks in three of the last four games. Troubling trend.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Falcons
**Biggest needs:** DB, OL, WR
Will Joe Staley, who has contemplated retirement in the past, be back in 2020? What about pending free agents Emmanuel Sanders and Jimmie Ward? Those are some of the big questions that could be facing San Francisco this offseason.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Jets
**Biggest needs:** Edge rusher, ILB, interior OL
You would think Eric DeCosta will want to keep this defense together, based on how it's performing (fifth in points allowed), but this is the guy who let Terrell Suggs and C.J. Mosley walk from a D that ranked second in that category in his first offseason as general manager. Starters Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith, Matt Judon and Michael Pierce are in the final year of their deals.
TEAMS WITHOUT A FIRST-ROUND PICK
Chicago Bears (7-6)
Biggest needs: DB, OL, QB
I'm not completely removing QB from the conversation here (after all, Chase Daniel is in a contract year!), but for now, it moves down the needs list, with signs pointing to Mitchell Trubisky returning as the Bears' starter under center next season. The highest priority this offseason might be the secondary, where Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is due to hit the market in March, a year before Prince Amukamara and Eddie Jackson are scheduled to do the same.
Houston Texans (8-5)
Biggest needs: Edge rusher, OL, CB
The Texans' pass defense ranks 27th in the league after getting sliced and diced by a second-round rookie QB making his second career start. They're now one of just seven teams to allow a passer rating of greater than 100 this season, and there's only one player on the roster with more than four sacks in 2019 (free-agent-to-be Whitney Mercilus). Houston has to be targeting prospects who can either get after the passer or cover in the backend.
Los Angeles Rams (8-5)
Biggest needs: OL, edge rusher, DB
The much-maligned Rams O-line has allowed only one sack in the last two games (these were against some elites, too, in Arizona's Chandler Jones and Seattle's Jadeveon Clowney). It's also cleared the way for a resurgent running game the last two weeks. While Sean McVay has figured out how to patch some holes up front, L.A. remains 30th in Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking rankings, and 26th in run blocking. Protecting the QB they paid a few months ago has to be Priority No. 1 for Les Snead.
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5)
Biggest needs: Edge rusher, TE, OL
Free-agent-to-be Bud Dupree is going to get PAID. He's on pace to record double-digit sacks (he has at least one in each of the last three games). What's more, he's tied for fifth in the league in forced fumbles (four) and sixth with 13 tackles for loss (he made three on Sunday vs. the Cardinals). Will the cap-strapped Steelers be able to clear the space to keep him?
