Tag: Raiders draft position

Raiders Week 18 draft position rooting guide

Raiders Week 18 draft position rooting guide

The only tangible thing that is at stake for the Raiders in their season finale against the Broncos is draft position. Yeah, there’s pride and bragging rights, yada yada yada, but that’s about it. So, let’s just set that aside for now as I don’t expect any Raiders fan to actively root for their team to lose just to improve their draft position.

Currently their range is 8-14. Which is to say, should they lose, they could draft as high as 8th and should they win they could draft as low at 14th.

By the time the Raiders game goes final, we should know the results of all the other games. And due to the different scenarios, the preferred results can flip entirely.

So, in the interest of covering our bases here, let’s look at the best case scenarios either way.

All times are Pacific

With a Raiders win

10am Saints (8-8) over Falcons (7-9)

Hard to say if the Saints are for real. They’ve won three of their last four, including a big win over the Buccaneers. Then again the other two wins were over terrible Panthers and Giants teams. Both these teams are still fighting for a shot at the playoffs, so expect them to leave it all on the field.

10am Vikings (7-9) over Lions (11-5)

This one seems like a fat chance situation. The Vikings are in a nosedive, losing five of their last six and are facing a Lions team still holding out hope of grabbing the two seed.

1:25pm Packers (8-8) over Bears (7-9)

The Packers have won two straight, but both wins were against bad Panthers and Vikings teams.

Best case scenario: 11th overall. 12th if the Vikings lose.

With a Raiders loss

10am NYJets (6-10) over Patriots (4-12)

The Jets have a good chance of beating the Patriots.

10am Falcons (7-9) over Saints (8-8)

Yes, the preferred result for this game flips if the Raiders end up losing. The Falcons have proven capable of beating the Saints as they have beaten them already this season.

1:25pm Bears (7-9) over Packers (8-8)

Once again, if the Raiders lose, they would be better off with the opposite result. The Bears have won two straight games and four of their last five, including a win over the Lions.

Best case scenario: 8th overall pick.

Little consolation but Raiders had good day from draft position perspective

It may be too early to talk draft position, but Raiders got a lot of help in that department Sunday.

Is it too early to talk about draft position? Probably. We still have ten games left to play. But watching the Raiders pathetic performance on Sunday in Chicago makes it hard not to think about it.

For the seventh straight game this season the Raiders didn’t get out of the teens in offensive scoring. Making it increasingly hard to imagine this team making a playoff push. Not that anyone should be rooting for a tank right now, but if we are looking at yet another losing season for the Raiders, one’s thoughts naturally wander to draft position.

In that regard, the Raiders had a pretty good day.

At 3-4 on the season, they sit just outside the top ten in the draft order. So, if they are to come up in the draft order, they need some other teams to win. There were five teams who played Sunday who each had one win on the season. They were as follows:

Bears (1-5)
Patriots (1-5)
Giants (1-5)
Cardinals (1-5)
Broncos (1-5)

Of those teams, all but one of them won on Sunday. The Bears, of course, being the team that beat the Raiders. As a result, there is now just one game separating them from the teams currently vying for the third overall pick behind the Bears (via the 0-6 Panthers) and Cardinals (1-6).

And not that you needed a reason to root against the 49ers, they face the 2-4 Vikings Monday night. So, a win by the Vikings would be good news as well.

Yeah, it’s early to be talking draft. But if the Raiders keep playing like they have, it will be getting late before you know it.