It's looked like an inevitability for weeks, and after giving the Patriots a scare in the first half before getting blown out after halftime, the Bengals have all but locked up the No. 1 spot in the 2020 NFL Draft. While Cincinnati's strength of schedule almost ensures they'd pick behind any team that has the same record, a two-game buffer between them and the team that's picking second means the Bengals need to lose just one of their final two games in the 2019 season to lock up the No. 1 pick, which would presumably be used on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.
The intriguing storyline begins at No. 2, as the Giants and Dolphins both own a 3-11 record after the former beat the latter in Week 15. The pair is joined by the Redskins at 3-11 following their loss to the Eagles. As of now, the Giants own the tiebreaker with a worse strength of schedule, while the Dolphins edge out the Redskins for the third spot. But those tiebreakers could flip even if all three teams finish with the same record after Week 17.
Week 15 is almost in the books and there's a lot to go over. Fortunately Will Brinson, John Breech, Ryan Wilson and Sean Wagner-McGough are here to break everything down on the Pick Six Podcast. Listen below and be sure to subscribe right here for daily NFL goodness fired into your eardrums.
In a stroke of fortune, the teams with the top four picks play each other in Week 16. The Giants travel to face the Redskins, with the home team an early 2.5-point favorite in the matchup. The Bengals head to Miami to play the Dolphins, who are favored by two points on the early line.
Rounding out the top 10 are the Lions, Cardinals, Jets, Jaguars, Chargers and Panthers, but with six teams tied at 5-9, including the Broncos and Falcons, there's still plenty left to decide in the early part of next April's draft.
2020 NFL Draft order after Sunday's games
| Pick | Team | Record | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bengals | 1-13 | 0.599 |
| 2 | Giants | 3-11 | 0.490 |
| 3 | Dolphins | 3-11 | 0.503 |
| 4 | Redskins | 3-11 | 0.513 |
| 5 | Lions | 3-10-1 | 0.497 |
| 6 | Cardinals | 4-9-1 | 0.521 |
| 7 | Jets | 5-9 | 0.449 |
| 8 | Jaguars | 5-9 | 0.485 |
| 9 | Chargers | 5-9 | 0.495 |
| 10 | Panthers | 5-9 | 0.536 |
| 11 | Broncos | 5-9 | 0.554 |
| 12 | Falcons | 5-9 | 0.578 |
| 13 | Raiders | 6-8 | 0.490 |
| 14 | Browns | 6-8 | 0.538 |
| 15 | Colts | 6-7 | 0.484 |
| 16 | Eagles | 7-7 | 0.472 |
| 17 | Raiders (from CHI) | 7-7 | 0.477 |
| 18 | Buccaneers | 7-7 | 0.492 |
| 19 | Titans | 8-6 | 0.464 |
| 20 | Jaguars (from LAR) | 8-6 | 0.541 |
| 21 | Dolphins (from PIT)* | 8-6 | 0.490 |
| 22 | Bills* | 10-4 | 0.418 |
| 23 | Vikings* | 10-4 | 0.444 |
| 24 | 49ers* | 11-3 | 0.492 |
| 25 | Cowboys* | 7-7 | 0.485 |
| 26 | Dolphins (from HOU)* | 9-5 | 0.513 |
| 27 | Chiefs* | 10-4 | 0.526 |
| 28 | Saints* | 10-3 | 0.503 |
| 29 | Patriots* | 11-3 | 0.454 |
| 30 | Packers* | 11-3 | 0.457 |
| 31 | Seahawks* | 11-3 | 0.526 |
| 32 | Ravens* | 12-2 | 0.503 |
* TBD by playoff finish
