Playoffs? Playoffs?! Unfortunately, most NFL teams will miss the playoffs and finish the season this week. That doesn’t mean they’re playing for nothing though. There are a handful of NFL teams who are still playing to win (lose?) top picks in the upcoming draft.
As it stands now, the Rams are in line to receive the #1 pick in April’s draft. This could land them Ndamokung Suh or possibly a shot at one of the elite quarterback prospects. However, St. Louis hasn’t secured the pick yet. The draft order is first determined by overall record and then opponents’ win percentage. So that means if St. Louis wins and Detroit loses, the Lions could “overtake” them for the first overall pick. Hilariously, the Rams’ only win up to this point was against the Lions in Week 8. After that, the Chiefs and Bucs will battle for the third overall pick. But neither team has a chance to jump the Lions for the second pick. Cleveland and Washington are the remaining two teams in the NFL’s cellar.
It seems likely that the first few picks off the board in April will include at least one defensive tackle (Suh or Gerald McCoy), one quarterback (Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford), and potentially one surprise (Rolando McClain or Dez Bryant). The other names in the mix to come off the board to one of the NFL’s worst franchises are Eric Berry (safety) along with Trent Williams and Russell Okung (offensive tackles). It’s worth noting that the Rams took Jason Smith (tackle), the Lions took Matthew Stafford (quarterback), and the Chiefs took Tyson Jackson (defensive end).
Tags: 2010 draft, cleveland browns, college football, detroit lions, eric berry, football, gerald mccoy, jimmy clausen, kansas city chiefs, ndamokung suh, NFL, russell okung, sam bradford, st. louis rams, trent williams, washington redskins
