Updated NFL Draft Order Through Week 16 Action: How the Top 10 Is Shaking Out

The New York Giants currently hold the No. 1 pick.

New York Giants fans react to the team's loss. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With only three weeks left in the NFL season, we're inching closer to learning the official draft order for the 2025 NFL draft in April . The teams that have underperformed and made their fans suffer this season will gain some hope with top selections in the NFL draft.

There's still time for the draft order to change, but here's what it looks like heading into Week 16.

Projected NFL draft order if the season ended today

PICK	TEAM	RECORD
1	New York Giants	2–12
2	Las Vegas Raiders	2–12
3	New England Patriots	3–11
4	Carolina Panthers	3–11
5	Tennessee Titans	3–11
6	Jacksonville Jaguars	3–11
7	Cleveland Browns	3–11
8	New York Jets	4–10
9	Chicago Bears	4–10
10	New Orleans Saints	5–9
11	Miami Dolphins	6–8
12	Cincinnati Bengals	6–8
13	Dallas Cowboys	6–8
14	Indianapolis Colts	6–8
15	San Francisco 49ers	6–8
16	Arizona Cardinals	7–7
17	Atlanta Falcons	7–7
18	Seattle Seahawks	8–6
19	Los Angeles Chargers	8–6
20	Los Angeles Rams	8–6
21	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8–6
22	Washington Commanders	9–5
23	Denver Broncos	9–5
24	Houston Texans	9–5
25	Baltimore Ravens	9–5
26	Pittsburgh Steelers	10–4
27	Green Bay Packers	10–4
28	Buffalo Bills	11–3
29	Minnesota Vikings	12–2
30	Philadelphia Eagles	12–2
31	Detroit Lions	12–2
32	Kansas City Chiefs	13–1

How do NFL draft tiebreakers work?

As it can be seen above, many teams will finish with the same record. So, how does the league determine who picks first in an instance where several teams won and lost the same amount of games?

Fortunately, the NFL is very prepared for this scenario. There are seven methods to break a tie in the draft order. Per the NFL, those are:

1. Head-to-head, if applicable
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games (minimum of four)
3. Strength of victory in all games
4. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games
5. Best net points in all games
6. Best net touchdowns in all games
7. Coin toss

In all instances the team that is "better" (won a head-to-head matchup, boasts a higher strength of victory, etc) receives the worse draft pick. The rules are made to give the worst team the best draft pick.

Top 2025 NFL draft prospects

In Sports Illustrated's most recent NFL Mock Draft, this year's Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, the Colorado two-way star, is projected as the No. 1 pick. Whether he ultimately goes No. 1 depends on which NFL team receives the top pick and what type of player they need.

Following him, the No. 1 quarterback in the draft is expected to be Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. His father, Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, recently predicted the New York Giants will select Sanders as they've dealt with various quarterback struggles this season and recently released their starter Daniel Jones.

The next selection is projected to be LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, who SI originally predicted would go to the Titans. After Campbell, a pair of quarterbacks are projected to follow suit—Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.

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