The San Francisco 49ers’ postseason hopes are over, which means each week now becomes about where they land in the 2025 NFL draft order.
By virtue of missing the playoffs, the 49ers have secured at least a top-18 pick. Losing Thursday helped their draft pick, but it took until Monday night for the 49ers to ensure they’d get into the top 15 after 15 weeks.
Because they hold an extremely high strength of schedule, the likelihood the 49ers will get a better pick in a tiebreaker is low, so getting clear of the slew of other 6-8 teams is crucial if the club is to maximize its pick in next year’s draft. That’s why the Las Vegas Raiders’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday helped San Francisco.
With Atlanta’s 15-9 win over the Raiders, they moved to 7-7 and snapped a four-game losing skid. Had the Raiders won, the Falcons have been 6-8 and above the 49ers in the draft because of the tiebreaker. Alas, the 49ers are now slated to pick No. 15 overall because they leapfrogged the victorious Falcons in the order.
Here’s what the NFL draft order looks like with three games to go:
1. Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)
2. New York Giants (2-12)
3. New England Patriots (3-11)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11)
5. Carolina Panthers (3-11)
6. Tennessee Titans (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. Indianapolis Colts (6-8)
13. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8)
14. Dallas Cowboys (6-8)
15. San Francisco 49ers (6-8)
16. Atlanta Falcons (7-7)
17. Arizona Cardinals (7-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)
Given the logjams in the top and middle of the first round, there’s a ton that could change over the next few weeks. The 49ers still face the Dolphins and Cardinals in two of their final three games, and both will be massive in determining how the 2025 NFL draft order shakes out.
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