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
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:
- Head-to-head, if applicable
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games (minimum of four)
- Strength of victory in all games
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games
- Best net points in all games
- Best net touchdowns in all games
- 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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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Updated NFL Draft Order Through Week 16 Action: How the Top 10 Is Shaking Out.
