The San Francisco 49ers won their third game of the season and their third of the past four. Sunday's 26-16 victory over the Houston Texans was big for players, coaches, and fans with no one caring about what it does for draft position. After all, San Francisco seemingly has its quarterback of the future, so the position is not likely to be a considerable need in April.
While the 49ers did not impact their draft position following the win at NRG Stadium, another victory will likely drop the team in the draft order. San Francisco's next opponent will be the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium on December 17.
Note: Draft chart based on the season ending today, which means it does not take into account the records of future opponents. This is the same method used by NFL.com and other major media outlets.
"I think we have a little bit of momentum with us right now and I think we just need to keep plucking away day by day and just keep getting better," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said on Sunday. "That's what it's all about, especially this time of year. We only have three games left now so we just have to keep getting better and better and good things will happen."
After the Titans, the 49ers will host the Jacksonville Jaguars and then travel to play the Los Angeles Rams to close out the season.
If the season ended today, the number one spot on the draft table would still belong to the Cleveland Browns. The two-win New York Giants are currently slated to select second overall.
The 49ers follow the Giants and win a tiebreaker against the Indianapolis Colts, who are fourth, due to the strength of schedule. The only other tiebreaker when it comes to draft order is a coin flip. How high the 49ers will actually select will be determined by the rest of the season and their final record.
On Monday morning, ESPN projected the 49ers to end up with the fourth-overall selection when all is said and done, which would not be a significant drop from where they are currently slated and is still high enough to select a highly-touted prospect.
Monday's night's game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins will have no bearing on the top 10 picks, which are listed below. A Miami loss would move them up into the number 11 spot, replacing the Washington Redskins.
Below is the current draft order, based on playoff seeding (21-32), record, and strength of schedule (SOS) for all 32 first-round spots if the season ended today. Of course, the order of the bottom 12 teams will eventually be determined by the playoff results and Super Bowl winner.
| Team | W-L | SOS | |
| 1 | Cleveland Browns | 0-13 | .521 |
| 2 | New York Giants | 2-11 | .503 |
| 3 | San Francisco 49ers | 3-10 | .485 |
| 4 | Indianapolis Colts | 3-10 | .515 |
| 5 | Cleveland Browns (from Texans) | 4-9 | .494 |
| 6 | Denver Broncos | 4-9 | .509 |
| 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-9 | .533 |
| 8 | Chicago Bears | 4-9 | .580 |
| 9 | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-8 | .444 |
| 10 | New York Jets | 5-8 | .488 |
| 11 | Washington Redskins | 5-8 | .574 |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | 5-7 | .551 |
| 13 | Oakland Raiders | 6-7 | .467 |
| 14 | Arizona Cardinals | 6-7 | .503 |
| 15 | Dallas Cowboys | 7-6 | .450 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Chargers | 7-6 | .461 |
| 17 | Green Bay Packers | 7-6 | .497 |
| 18 | Detroit Lions | 7-6 | .515 |
| 19 | Baltimore Ravens | 7-6 | .518 |
| 20 | Seattle Seahawks | 8-5 | .462 |
| 21 | Buffalo Bills | 7-6 | -- |
| 22 | Atlanta Falcons | 8-5 | -- |
| 23 | Tennessee Titans | 8-5 | -- |
| 24 | Carolina Panthers | 9-4 | -- |
| 25 | Buffalo Bills (from Chiefs) | 7-6 | -- |
| 26 | New Orleans Saints | 9-4 | -- |
| 27 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-4 | -- |
| 28 | Los Angeles Rams | 9-4 | -- |
| 29 | Minnesota Vikings | 10-3 | -- |
| 30 | New England Patriots | 10-2 | -- |
| 31 | Philadelphia Eagles | 11-2 | -- |
| 32 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-2 | -- |
* 21-32 based on projected playoff seeding, not record or strength of schedule
** Trades show the record of the origin team
