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The 2017 NFL Draft order has their first tiebreaker determined by Strength of Schedule, which does not bode well for the Denver Broncos. There are currently three other teams tied with the Broncos at 8-7, and four others at 7-8.
Current Draft Order - Week 16
| # | Team | Rec. | Rec. % | SoS % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | Rec. | Rec. % | SoS % |
| 1 | Cleveland Browns | 1-14 | 0.067 | 0.549 |
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 2-13 | 0.133 | 0.504 |
| 3 | Chicago Bears | 3-12 | 0.200 | 0.519 |
| 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-12 | 0.200 | 0.529 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Rams (pick belongs to Titans) | 4-11 | 0.267 | 0.500 |
| 6 | New York Jets | 4-11 | 0.267 | 0.519 |
| 7 | San Diego Chargers | 5-10 | 0.333 | 0.546 |
| 8 | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-9-1 | 0.357 | 0.527 |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | 6-9 | 0.400 | 0.515 |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) | 6-9 | 0.400 | 0.564 |
| 11 | Arizona Cardinals | 6-8-1 | 0.429 | 0.464 |
| 12 | Buffalo Bills | 7-8 | 0.467 | 0.481 |
| 13 | Indianapolis Colts | 7-8 | 0.467 | 0.492 |
| 14 | Minnesota Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) | 7-8 | 0.467 | 0.496 |
| 15 | New Orleans Saints | 7-8 | 0.467 | 0.521 |
| 16 | Tennessee Titans | 8-7 | 0.533 | 0.471 |
| 17 | Baltimore Ravens | 8-6 | 0.571 | 0.498 |
| 18 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-7 | 0.533 | 0.500 |
| 19 | Denver Broncos | 8-6 | 0.571 | 0.552 |
| 20 | Washington | 8-6-1 | 0.571 | 0.513 |
Even if all of those teams finish 8-8, the Broncos will not top any of them in strength of schedule tiebreakers.
If all of those 8-7 teams win and the Broncos lose, then they could secure the 16th pick in the draft. If the Broncos win and the Washington Redskins lose, then they can go as low as the 20th position.
That Strength of Schedule number could fluctuate some, but the next closest team to the Broncos 0.552 number is the New Orleans Saints at 0.521. A lot of teams would need to win and/or lose to close that gap in a single week.
Given that, I feel confident saying that the Broncos will end up with the 16th-20th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
We’ll follow up next week with a final draft order.