It was not a good Sunday for the Raiders team on the field in Tampa. But for the Raiders organization’s hopes of having the highest pick possible in April’s Draft, it was another story.
With the loss to the Buccaneers, the Raiders now sit at 2-11 on the season. And as of now, there is one less team across the league with the same record.
While the Raiders were losing to the Bucs in Tampa, the cross-state Jaguars were in Tennessee beating the Titans. The Jags now sit at 3-10 on the season, putting them a game behind the Raiders at the top of the draft order.
This leaves just the Raiders and Giants as the only remaining two-win teams. And with a weaker Strength of Schedule (SOS), that means the Raiders currently are in line for the number one overall pick.
Updated top-7 NFL Draft order:
1. Raiders (2-11)
2. Giants (2-11)
3. Patriots (3-10)
4. Panthers (3-10)
5. Jaguars (3-10)
6. Titans (3-10)
7. Browns (3-10)— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) December 8, 2024
One other result was great news for the Raiders — the Dolphins come-from-behind win over the Jets in overtime.
Why is this game good news for the Raiders? Well, because the Raiders own the Jets’ third round pick from the Davante Adams trade. So, the worse the Jets are, the higher that pick will be. The loss drops the Jets to 3-10 on the season.
And so long as the Raiders don’t win more games than the Jets the rest of the way, the Jets will remain behind them at the top of the draft.