This is a look at the first-round order for the 2020 NFL Draft heading into Week 10, 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.
We're on to Cincinnati! The 0-8 Bengals are now alone in the driver's seat for the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft following the Dolphins' dismissal of the Jets on Sunday.
Before Miami fans get all hot and bothered about falling to third in the order this week when so many folks have been acting like it was a done deal that their team would be picking first in 2020, just remember that the Dolphins hold three first-rounders and two second-rounders in next year's draft and two firsts and two seconds in the 2021 draft. No matter what happens in the rest of 2019, this franchise will have the flexibility to move up or down the board with draft capital out the wazoo for the next two years.
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.
The order and needs will evolve as we go along. Stay tuned. It's going to be a rather inglorious ride.
Arrows indicate how far up or down a team has moved relative to last week.
**Previous week:** No. 2
**This week's game:** vs. Ravens
**Biggest needs:** QB, OL, LB
The buzz about the Bengals potentially having their choice of QBs in the 2020 NFL Draft reaches a new high just as rookie QB Ryan Finley prepares to make his first career start against a defense that made the GOAT look rather ordinary on Sunday night. Good luck, young man.
**Previous week:** No. 3
**This week's game:** On bye
**Biggest needs:** OL, CB, pass catcher
The Redskins limp into the bye week firmly in the hunt for the first overall selection. They have gone three straight games without a TD for the first time since 1950, but they could still beat the flat-lining Jets in Week 11 and potentially cost themselves highly valuable leverage by moving down the board.
**Previous week:** No. 1
**This week's game:** at Colts
**Biggest needs:** QB, OT, edge rusher
This might be surprising to some folks, but the Dolphins have had a lead in seven of their last 11 quarters. Brian Flores is DOING WORK considering what the front office handed him this year. At least a couple more wins are well within reach as they'll play the Jets again and host the Bengals in December.
**Previous week:** No. 5
**This week's game:** vs. Giants
**Biggest needs:** OL, edge rusher, CB
Man, that triumph over the Cowboys feels like a long time ago. Now the Jets face the prospect of losing to the previously winless Dolphins and the other Big Apple team in consecutive weeks. That would be embarrassing, Adam Gase.
**Previous week:** No. 4
**This week's game:** at Saints
**Biggest needs:** Edge rusher, DB, OL
In a sign of how things are going for Atlanta, the Falcons told Vic Beasley they were shopping him ahead of the trade deadline and apparently couldn't find any takers. The former first-round pick still leads the team's edge rushers in sacks with ... 1.5. Oof.
**Previous week:** No. 6
**This week's game:** vs. Jets
**Biggest needs:** OT, edge rusher, DB
In a season where both New York teams are going nowhere fast, the winner of next week's game at MetLife Stadium actually loses by giving up draft positioning. Sad times.
**Previous week:** No. 9
**This week's game:** vs. Bills
**Biggest needs:** OT, S, interior OL
The Browns had a better record at the midway point (2-5-1) last season -- the week in which Hue Jackson was fired -- than they do halfway through the 2019 campaign. Things were supposed to be different this year! I'd like to say some home cooking is just what the doctor ordered with four of the next five games in Cleveland, but this team is 0-3 at home.
**Previous week:** No. 8
**This week's game:** vs. Cardinals
**Biggest needs:** QB, edge rusher, OL
Jameis Winston's glass is
full of air, and his defense is full of holes. Only the
Dolphins are allowing more points per game than Tampa Bay (31.5).
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**Previous week:** No. 7
**This week's game:** On bye
**Biggest needs:** Interior D-line, OL, DB
The Broncos go on the road for four of their next five games coming out of the bye, and all four road games are against teams with a record of 6-3 or better. Not an optimal situation for Denver. But hey, there's good news. The team might have at worst a serviceable future backup QB in Brandon Allen.
**Previous week:** No. 14
**This week's game:** at Buccaneers
**Biggest needs:** OL, edge rusher, pass catcher
Cardinals fans have to be pleased about what they're seeing from
Kyler Murray and an offense that held its own against one of the league's top defenses
in Week 9. The defense? Well, not so much. Arizona has given up 24 passing touchdowns against just two INTs for a passer rating allowed of 118.4 (ranks last in the league).
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**Previous week:** No. 18
**This week's game:** at Bears
**Biggest needs:** CB, OL, WR
Detroit will face a couple of the league's worst offenses in November, with two games against the Bears and one against the Redskins, so maybe there's hope that Matt Patricia can get things going on defense. Right now, it's not good enough. The Lions have allowed nearly 100 points in their last three games (33.0 average).
**Previous week:** No. 15
**This week's game:** vs. Chiefs
**Biggest needs:** QB, OL, RB
The Titans continue to make a nice, cozy home in mediocrity. In fact, after being steamrolled by Christian McCaffrey and the Panthers, I have to wonder if Tennessee has already peaked. Only one of the team's remaining opponents has a record below .500, and they might get the unfortunate task of welcoming Patrick Mahomes back from injury on Sunday.
**Previous week:** No. 10
**This week's game:** at Raiders
**Biggest needs:** OL, CB, QB
Give 'em credit. The Bolts aren't going to go down without a fight. They still have two games apiece against the teams they're chasing in the AFC West, so as bad as it looked when L.A. was sitting at 2-5 a couple weeks ago, there's still a chance for the Chargers to have one of their familiar red-hot finishes.
**Previous week:** No. 16
**This week's game:** On bye
**Biggest needs:** CB, OL, DL
Not an ideal way to go into the bye, coming off your worst performance of the season. Doug Marrone can hand the keys to the offense back to Nick Foles with Minshew Mania suffering a death blow on Sunday. The biggest concern coming out of the loss to the Texans is a run defense that now ranks 22nd in the league after being gashed for 216 yards. Only two teams allow more yards per carry than Jacksonville (4.94).
**Previous week:** No. 13
**This week's game:** vs. Chargers
**Biggest needs:** Edge rusher, CB, WR
It's getting interesting in Oakland. Thursday night's date with the Chargers is the biggest Raiders game in a while, and the 2020 first-round pick they received from the Bears in the Khalil Mack trade is looking like it might end up being a top-10 selection. Oh, and after the Chargers, the Raiders face the Bengals and Jets, who have one win between them.
**Previous week:** No. 17
**This week's game:** On bye
**Biggest needs:** DB, edge rusher, WR
The pass defense has been much improved in the last two weeks, but Philly is going from playing the likes of Josh Allen and Mitchell Trubisky to Tom Brady and Russell Wilson in the two games coming out of the bye. Best to reserve judgement on whether Jim Schwartz has worked some magic in that area until we see how things go in the second half of this month.
**Previous week:** No. 19
**This week's game:** at Packers
**Biggest needs:** DB, OL, DL
Carolina switches back and forth between playing some of the league's best and worst teams from now until mid-December, when it gets Seahawks-Colts- Saints to close the season. So, Ron Rivera's crew is going to have to take care of business against teams it should beat and pull off a couple surprise wins to be a legit postseason contender down the stretch. Eight or nine wins isn't going to cut it in the NFC wild-card race this year.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Vikings
**Biggest needs:** DB, pass catcher, DL
A shaky first 27 minutes on Monday night had me thinking we might witness a repeat of Dallas' last haunted endeavor in the Meadowlands, but then Daniel Jones started coughing the ball up and the Cowboys ran away unscathed, like a football cat. Sloppy starts won't do for much longer, though.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Dolphins
**Biggest needs:** DL, DB, pass catcher
A home date with the 1-7 Dolphins should be a nice way to bounce back from a tough loss to the Steelers. Obviously, the injury to Jacoby Brissett made an impact on Sunday, but the Colts have looked quite average the last couple weeks, which probably shouldn't be surprising considering they rank 16th -- smack dab in the middle of the pack -- in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Cowboys
**Biggest needs:** OL, DB, DL
Mike Zimmer was critical of an offensive line that failed on Sunday to spring NFL leading rusher Dalvin Cook against a Kansas City run defense that's been one of the league's worst. The Minnesota front five -- so often the target of derision in recent years -- seems destined for changes in the offseason.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Titans
**Biggest needs:** CB, LB, OG
How's this for impressive? The Chiefs beat one of the league's hottest teams despite being without the services of their reigning MVP QB, top cornerback, top pass rusher and two starting offensive linemen. With the middling Titans up next, the Chiefs don't have to rush anyone back from injury.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Browns
**Biggest needs:** WR, CB, DE
If the pattern through the first half of the season holds, the Bills will win 11 games and make the playoffs as a wild card. But unless Josh Allen and the passing game morph into a much more effective operation, it's hard to see how this team is going to hang with the best teams in the AFC. The Bills' wins have come vs. squads with a combined 9-42 record, and their losses came to teams that are currently .500 or better.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Bengals
**Biggest needs:** Edge rusher, ILB, interior OL
After knocking off Russell Wilson and Tom Brady in consecutive games (outscoring them by a combined 31 points!), the Ravens can relax a little (or a lot). They will face fourth-round pick Ryan Finley in his first career start on Sunday for the 0-8 Bengals. Baltimore should cruise into a fascinating Week 11 battle between Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson at 7-2.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at 49ers
**Biggest needs:** DL, DB, OL
The gauntlet begins. Six of the Seahawks' final seven opponents currently have winning records. It all starts against the league's last remaining unbeaten team, which will be licking its chops after watching tape of the Seahawks' pass defense against the Bucs on Sunday.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Panthers
**Biggest needs:** OT, WR, TE
Whoa! Green Bay is going to have to protect the franchise a lot better than that. Aaron Rodgers has been sacked eight times in the last two games, and the offensive line was completely overwhelmed by Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram on Sunday. The Packers face the league leader in sacks (the Panthers, with 34) next.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Falcons
**Biggest needs:** CB, WR, QB
It would be a surprise if the Saints didn't reach 11 wins before December with overmatched division foes on the menu for November. The next true measuring stick doesn't come until they host the Niners on Dec. 8.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** On bye
**Biggest needs:** TE, OL, S
Lamar Jackson gave the
Patriots a little food for thought heading into the bye. I know the destruction of the almighty
Patriots defense was the big story coming out of Sunday night, but how bad does this team miss Gronk?
Patriots tight ends have a total of 18 catches through nine games.
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**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Seahawks
**Biggest needs:** DB, OL, LB
Trade-deadline pickup Emmanuel Sanders seems like too perfect a fit for the Niners to let him walk after the season, so we replace receiver with LB on the needs list this week. Kwon Alexander, who suffered a torn pec in Week 9, has played more than 12 games in a season only once in his five-year career and San Francisco can't bank on him staying healthy.
TEAMS WITHOUT A FIRST-ROUND PICK
Chicago Bears (3-5)
Biggest needs: QB, DB, OG
Life comes at you fast. Just ask Ryan Pace, Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky. A year ago, all celebrated as heroes. Now? The vitriol for them in Chicago is real coming off of four straight losses, the latest of which once again showcased Trubisky's futility. The Bears had nine yards in the first half against the Eagles, which is the fewest in an opening half by the team in the last 40 years.
Houston Texans (6-3)
Biggest needs: Edge rusher, OL, CB
Savor that mesmerizing performance by Deshaun Watson and the domination by the Texans defense against the Jaguars in London because things get a lot more complicated coming out of a Week 10 bye. Houston will visit MVP candidate Lamar Jackson next, followed by a rematch with the Colts and a meeting with Tom Brady and Co. Combined record of those opponents: 19-6.
Los Angeles Rams (5-3)
Biggest needs: OL, edge rusher, DB
This team has pushed all of its chips into the middle of the table, parting with high-value draft capital to maximize its window to win, but if the season ended today, the Rams wouldn't make the playoffs. A three-game losing streak from Weeks 4 to 6 -- marked by defensive breakdowns and scary-bad offensive line play -- have the team looking up at the Seahawks and 49ers in the division. Immense pressure on this squad heading into the second half of the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4)
Biggest needs: Edge rusher, pass catcher, OL
Kudos to Mike Tomlin. Despite all that has gone wrong for the Steelers this season, the team is in the race for a wild-card spot with a supremely manageable second-half schedule ahead. The Rams (Week 10), Bills (Week 15) and Ravens (Week 17) are their only remaining opponents that have more than three wins.
