The 49ers got arguably their biggest win of the year Monday night and they didn’t even play. The Oakland Raiders knocked off the Denver Broncos 27-14 to move to 4-11 on the season. That record puts them in a three-way tie with the 49ers and Jets, and shuffles the draft order in San Francisco’s favor.
After Week 16, the 49ers find themselves back up at the No. 2 overall pick. The Raiders went from No. 2 to No. 4, while the Jets remained at the third selection. Strength of schedule is the tiebreaker, with the worse strength of schedule getting the better pick. San Francisco owns the worst strength of schedule of the four-win teams after Week 16, which is why they jump to the second pick. Arizona is still at the top with just three wins.
Here’s what the top 10 in the 2019 draft looks like going into Week 17 according to Tankathon:
1. Cardinals
2. 49ers
3. Jets
4. Raiders
5. Lions
6. Buccaneers
7. Bills
8. Giants
9. Jaguars
10. Falcons
Things could shuffle depending on Week 17’s outcomes, but the 49ers are in a more favorable position than they were before this week. Their Week 15 win over the Seahawks dropped them from the No. 1 overall pick to No. 4. Now they’re back up in the top two with the No. 3 pick looking like a worst-case scenario.
We won’t know the final draft order until after the last week. The 49ers still have an outside shot at the top pick. They play the Los Angeles Rams on the road to close their season. A loss to LA and a Cardinals win over the Seahawks would open the door for San Francisco to move back to the top of the draft.
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