This is a look at the first-round order for the 2020 NFL Draft heading into Week 16, 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.
What's it going to be, Bengals? Should we end this race early or take it to the limit?
That is the question entering Week 16, as Cincinnati is one loss away from clinching the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The team's next game is one we've had circled for a while now due to its draft-order implications: Bengals (holding the No. 1 pick) at Dolphins (No. 3) this Sunday. Miami is looking as beatable as ever, after a lopsided loss to a Giants team that hadn't won since September. A Cincy win would put the Bengals, Dolphins and the loser of Sunday's Redskins-Giants game in play for the draft's first pick entering Week 17, when the Bengals have a home game against a Browns team that might be in full-fledged revolt by that time. I'm not saying Cincinnati is going to win out. I'm just saying there's a chance.
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:** at Dolphins
**Biggest needs:** QB, OL, LB
Rather than making a case to keep his job in 2020, Andy Dalton seems to be cementing his path out of town. The Red Rifle had one of the worst outings of his career on Sunday against the Pats. He tied a career high with four picks and had the fourth-lowest passer rating of his career (39.2). Dalton has now thrown more INTs (13) than TDs (11) in 2019.
**Previous week:** No. 2
**This week's game:** at Redskins
**Biggest needs:** OT, edge rusher, DB
Sure, if that was Eli Manning's sendoff, it was nice and all, but the Giants have entered the Draft Order Danger Zone by beating Miami. They remain in the No. 2 slot this week, but they'll be handing a division rival a leg up in the battle for draft positioning if they knock off the 'Skins on Sunday. That's significant considering the teams have similar needs.
**Previous week:** No. 4
**This week's game:** vs. Bengals
**Biggest needs:** QB, OL, edge rusher
The Giants racked up three sacks, six tackles for loss and 11 QB hits against Miami on Sunday, offering a reminder that this team will probably have to spend multiple picks on the O-line this spring. No squad has allowed more sacks than the Dolphins (54), who Pro Football Focus ranks last in pass and run blocking.
**Previous week:** No. 3
**This week's game:** vs. Giants
**Biggest needs:** OL, CB, pass catcher
Left tackle and cornerback lead the needs list since it seems likely Washington will part ways with Trent Williams and Josh Norman in the offseason. But there's also the matter of finding Dwayne Haskins more weapons at wide receiver and tight end.
**Previous week:** No. 5
**This week's game:** at Broncos
**Biggest needs:** CB, OL, edge rusher
Another week, another thumping for Detroit, which has the longest active losing streak in the league (seven games). It's been clear for some time now, but Matt Patricia doesn't seem to have any answers for how to fix a defense that would rank last in the NFL if not for the team directly below the Lions in the draft order ...
**Previous week:** No. 6
**This week's game:** at Seahawks
**Biggest needs:** Defensive playmaker, OL, pass catcher
Arizona is 0-7 against teams that are currently above .500, and that record probably isn't going to improve much until Steve Keim adds at least a couple playmakers to a defense that ranks dead last in yards allowed and second to last in points allowed. The front seven is badly in need of someone who can help Chandler Jones wreak havoc.
**Previous week:** No. 9
**This week's game:** vs. Steelers
**Biggest needs:** OL, edge rusher, CB
A few years after trading up to get their QB1, will the Jets be looking to trade down to get said QB the help he needs this offseason? There are needs just about everywhere you look on this roster, so it might make sense for GM Joe Douglas to collect as many picks as he can in his first draft at the helm.
**Previous week:** No. 7
**This week's game:** at Falcons
**Biggest needs:** CB, front-seven playmaker, OL
The Jaguars have a pulse! They also have needs just about everywhere you look. The good news is they have two first-round picks in 2020 and 2021 thanks to the Jalen Ramsey trade. Will they need to spend one of those on a player to replace pending free agent Yannick Ngakoue? He just became the first player in franchise history with eight or more sacks in four consecutive seasons.
**Previous week:** No. 10
**This week's game:** vs. Raiders
**Biggest needs:** OL, QB, CB
After throwing three picks in a blowout loss to the Vikings -- making it his third game with three or more INTs in his last five -- even Philip Rivers is sensing this could be the end of his time with the Chargers. Yes, it's time to invest a high pick in a quarterback. Just be sure to give him a vastly improved O-line.
**Previous week:** No. 11
**This week's game:** at Colts
**Biggest needs:** DB, DL, OL
Will Grier,
come on down! Unless the rookie does indeed step into the starting lineup and sets the world on fire in these final two weeks of the regular season, the team's quarterback dilemma -- to Cam or not to Cam in 2020 -- will dominate
Panthers headlines in the weeks to come. Don't forget, though, that this club could be hit hard by free agency on the defensive line and in the secondary.
</content:power-ranking>
**Previous week:** No. 12
**This week's game:** vs. Lions
**Biggest needs:**OL, interior D-line, DB
Drew Lock came tumbling down to the snowy Earth
in Kansas City. That's allowed. He's a rookie who missed most of the season due to injury, after all. So we're not going to fire QB into the needs list now. There will be zero confidence instilled if he doesn't bounce back in a big way against the
Lions' atrocious pass defense at home on Sunday, though, and it's concerning that the team's best player is at a loss for
how to make Denver a winner again.
</content:power-ranking>
**Previous week:** No. 8
**This week's game:** vs. Jaguars
**Biggest needs:** Edge rusher, OL, DB
**Previous week:** No. 15
**This week's game:** at Chargers
**Biggest needs:** CB, WR, edge rusher
The Raiders' offense has gone missing during the team's four-game losing streak. They're averaging a putrid 12.3 points per game over the stretch, and while it's certainly not the only issue, the team's shortage of quality options at wide receiver has certainly played a big role. It was evident again on Sunday, when, outside of Tyrell Williams (two catches for 45 yards, TD), the Saints got a grand total of two catches for 22 yards from their WRs.
**Previous week:** No. 14
**This week's game:** vs. Panthers
**Biggest needs:** DL, pass catcher, DB
**Previous week:** No. 17
**This week's game:** vs. Ravens
**Biggest needs:** OT, S, interior OL
The ugliness is reaching another level in Cleveland, which seems to have bigger problems than finding a new left tackle right now. The Browns are a loss away from a 12th straight below-.500 season and they face the red-hot Ravens next.
**Previous week:** No. 13
**This week's game:** vs. Cowboys
**Biggest needs:** DB, WR, edge rusher
The Eagles have gotten a scare from their cellar-dwelling division rivals in each of the past two weeks, when the deficiencies highlighted in the needs section were fully on display. Shockingly, Philly failed to record a single QB hit against the Redskins in Week 15.
**Previous week:** No. 16
**This week's game:** vs. Texans
**Biggest needs:** OL, DB, QB
For the first time since mid-October, QB is not atop the Bucs' needs list in this space. With Jameis Winston on his way to another strong finish -- he just became the first player in NFL history with 450-plus pass yards in consecutive games -- and the Bucs pushing themselves out of range for a top-10 pick, the circumstances seem ripe for the team to bring the QB1 back on a short-term deal this offseason. They know what they're getting. A lot of good and a lot of bad.
**Previous week:** No. 19
**This week's game:** vs. Saints
**Biggest needs:** OL, edge rusher, RB
The marriage between Ryan Tannehill and the Titans still kinda seems too good to be true. However, it's highly unlikely to end in the offseason given the way the QB has performed since replacing Marcus Mariota. The bigger free agency question: Will the team re-sign Derrick Henry and Jack Conklin? Tennessee should also be looking to add juice to a pass rush that produced only one QB hit against Deshaun Watson on Sunday.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Eagles
**Biggest needs:** DB, pass catcher, DL
Here's your weekly reminder that it's about to be a wild offseason in Dallas no matter how the rest of the season goes. Almost half of the players that started for the Cowboys in Sunday's win over the Rams are ticketed for free agency in 2020. It would seem keeping Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper together will be Jerry Jones' No. 1 priority, but we could see some holes develop on defense with Byron Jones, Maliek Collins and Robert Quinn among the pending free agents.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Patriots
**Biggest needs:** WR, DE, CB
It's been somewhat lost in the good vibes coming off a playoff-berth-clinching win, but the Bills have been held to 17 points in each of their December games. Josh Allen has thrown for less than 150 yards in both contests. Buffalo clearly has established a winning recipe. However, this offense still needs to become more dynamic at wide receiver.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Packers
**Biggest needs:** DB, OL, DL
Mike Zimmer might be retooling his secondary in 2020. The Vikings have a starting safety (Anthony Harris) and two corners ( Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander) that are set to become free agents this offseason. Plus, Xavier Rhodes' future with the team beyond 2019 seems uncertain right now based on his declining performance and the team's need to create cap space.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Bears
**Biggest needs:** CB, LB, OG
Three of the four Chiefs cornerbacks that have played the most snaps this season are in a walk year ( Bashaud Breeland, Kendall Fuller, Morris Claiborne). It's hard to imagine the Chiefs finding a way to keep all of them.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Bills
**Biggest needs:** OL, TE, S
PFF's highest-graded New England offensive lineman -- OG Joe Thuney -- is due to hit the market this offseason. And this is a team that will be blocking for a 43-year-old Tom Brady or the GOAT's replacement next season. It would behoove the squad to ensure an improved O-line and more capable safety valve at tight end for its QB in 2020.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Vikings
**Biggest needs:** OT, pass catcher, ILB
This might sound crazy but it's true: The Packers haven't spent a first-round pick on an offensive player since they selected OT Derek Sherrod (who made one start in five NFL seasons) in 2011, and they haven't picked a wide receiver in Round 1 since Javon Walker in 2002. It's time to snap those streaks.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Rams
**Biggest needs:** DB, OL, WR
The Niners are without a 2020 draft pick in Rounds 2-4, so perhaps John Lynch will be inclined to trade down to give himself some bites at the apple in the middle rounds. The secondary has the potential to be at the forefront of his mind next spring with Jimmie Ward scheduled to hit free agency this offseason and Richard Sherman, Jaquiski Tartt, K'Waun Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon due to reach the market in 2021.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Titans
**Biggest needs:** WR, DB, interior OL
The Saints' decision to claim Janoris Jenkins off waivers shows they identified a need for help in the secondary, too. Jenkins is signed through next season, and as we mentioned here last week, pending free agent Eli Apple's performance has declined in the second half of the 2019 campaign. Keep in mind that two other key pieces in the defensive backfield -- Vonn Bell and P.J. Williams -- are due to reach free agency, as well.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** vs. Cardinals
**Biggest needs:** DL, OL, DB
The Seahawks have allowed 400-plus yards in each of the past two games and they have only one sack in their last three games (which actually isn't that surprising given their pass rush's poor performance in 2019). They're going to need to tighten it up on defense in the short-term and worry about how to prevent a mass exodus among their pending free agent D-linemen -- including starters Jadeveon Clowney, Jarran Reed and Quinton Jefferson -- this offseason.
**Previous week:** Playoffs
**This week's game:** at Browns
**Biggest needs:** Edge rusher, ILB, interior OL
It would be nice to add another productive pass rusher to the mix to lessen their reliance on the blitz. The Ravens are in the middle of the pack in sacks this season, and their lone edge rusher in the top 50 in PFF's pass-rush productivity metric is free-agent-to-be Matt Judon.
TEAMS WITHOUT A FIRST-ROUND PICK
Chicago Bears (7-7)
Biggest needs: OL, DB, QB
It doesn't receive nearly as much attention as Mitchell Trubisky's well-documented issues, of course, but the Bears' offensive line has taken a big step back in 2019, too. It's one reason why you can't put allof the blame on Mitch for the team's failure to make the playoffs.
Houston Texans (9-5)
Biggest needs: Edge rusher, OL, CB
Even if Houston re-signs pending free agents Whitney Mercilus and D.J. Reader, there's still plenty of room for a disruptor up front. J.J. Watt, who's played more than half the season only once in the past four years, still performs at a Pro Bowl level when healthy, but the Texans never really replaced Jadeveon Clowney.
Los Angeles Rams (8-6)
Biggest needs: OL, edge rusher, DB
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6)
Biggest needs: Edge rusher, TE, OL
The Steelers might only be a year away from replacing the left side of their offensive line. Both LT Alejandro Villanueva and LG Ramon Foster are in their mid-30s and due to reach free agency in 2021. The club should continue to be on the lookout for young reinforcements who can develop into replacements for those longtime staples.
