DETROIT – The Lions will have one of the first seven picks in the NFL Series if they lose next Sunday. And as anyone who watched last Saturday can attest, it looks like a good possibility.
The Lions were blown out by 40 points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a painful, thorough bloodshed that caused them to rise four more places in the NFL draft order. They have now been selected in the seventh overall pick and can still climb as high as number 3.
The Jacksonville Jaguars made the first overall pick and it looks like they are destined to land the valued fullback Trevor Lawrence. The New York Jets finished second overall, despite the last two weeks of winning games, which is consistent with the longest winning streak of the entire Matt Patricia era in Detroit. (Yes, really.)
But the Lions can still make one of the next four teams. The Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans (whose pick is owned by the Miami Dolphins), Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles all have four wins. They also all have a better percentage of the opponent, which means Detroit owns the equalizer over everyone. The Lions will pull up with another spot if they win a loss with Atlanta, Houston, Cincinnati or Philly.
A win over all four teams seems particularly unlikely, but it will be Detroit’s path to third overall pick.
The last man to finish seventh overall was a big Lions target, Derrick Brown, the Auburn defensive tackle. The two guys before that were Josh Allen, who is definitely not confusing or anything. But the Allen selection seems to be working just fine for the Bills, now that he’s developed into one of the best young backs in the game and led the Bills just to the AFC East Championship.
The last time Detroit won a division championship: 1993, by far the longest drought in the league.
Detroit may be looking for its own quarterback of the future in the draft. The Allen pick was a good choice, but the success on quarterbacks at that spot has since been hit-and-miss: Byron Leftwich (2003), Andre Ware (1990), Wayne Peace (1984), Todd Blackledge (1983), Phil Simms (1979) and Bill Munson (1964).
NFL draft order (with opponent according to schedule):
* 1. Jaguars 1-14
* 2. Aircraft 2-13
3. Dolphins (via Texans) 4-11 (.542)
4. Valke 4-11 (.550)
5. Bengal 4-10-1 (.527)
6. Arende 4-10-1 (.531)
7. Lions 5-10 (.504)
Giant 5-10 (.506)
9. Panthers 5-10 (.529)
10. Broncos 5-10 (.567)
11. Cowboys 6-9 (.465)
12. Loaders 6-9 (.490)
13. Vikings 6-9 (.508)
14. 49ers 6-9 (.544)
15. Patriotte 6-8 (.529)
* – locked in the selection