The 3-13 Patriots are one week away from picking first overall in the NFL Draft.
Getting blown out 40-7 at home by the Los Angeles Chargers, the New England Patriots very much looked like the worst team in the NFL on Saturday. One day later, their projected draft slot reflects that standing.
After the 1 p.m. window of games on Sunday, the Patriots have now moved into the top spot. They were able to leap-frog the New York Giants, who celebrated a 45-33 win over the Indianapolis Colts to drop from the first to the third overall pick.
The Patriots, who entered Sunday at No. 2 and have the worst strength of schedule among their competitors, are the main beneficiaries.
After 1 pm games. (Per @tankathon) pic.twitter.com/JbvfAx9lYu
— Christopher Price (@cpriceglobe) December 29, 2024
With one week left in the season, the Patriots now have the inside track to earn the first overall selection in next year’s draft. If so, 2025 would mark the fifth time in franchise history and first since 1993 that the team was first on the clock.
Of course, the table will not be finalized until a week from now. And while the Patriots cannot drop out of the top-5 due to their combination of record and strength of schedule, there is potential for them to move out of the top spot: if they end up beating the Buffalo Bills next weekend, New England will almost certainly not pick at No. 1.
The chances of that happening are not as low as they seem.
The Bills, after all, are a realistic candidate to rest their starters: thanks to a win over the New York Jets on Sunday, the AFC East champions are locked into the second seed in the AFC playoff picture. Two weeks after their narrow 24-21 victory over New England, the Bills might therefore decide to roll out their B-squad against their division rivals.