Some good came from the San Francisco 49ers' loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. They moved up a spot in their projected 2016 draft order, back up to the fifth overall spot that they occupied just two weeks ago. Last week, following their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, they had fallen a spot to sixth based on record and strength of schedule (SOS) if the season had ended following that week.
How high the team will actually select will be determined by their final game and their final record. For the third week in a row, the top spot is still owned by the Tennessee Titans, who can clinch it with a loss next week.
Monday night's game between the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals will have no impact on the 49ers' position.
The Carolina Panthers, who suffered their first defeat of the season on Sunday, still hold the final overall selection based on playoff seeding. If the season ended today, they would be the number one seed in the NFC and hold the best record in the league.
Below is the draft order, based on playoff seeding (21-32), record, and strength of schedule (SOS), for all 32 (Really 31 since the New England Patriots have forfeited their pick) first-round spots if the season ended today.
The Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders are currently tied for the 15th selection.
| Team | Record | SOS | |
| 1 | Tennessee Titans | 3-12 | .493 |
| 2 | Cleveland Browns | 3-12 | .532 |
| 3 | San Diego Chargers | 4-11 | .511 |
| 4 | Dallas Cowboys | 4-11 | .529 |
| 5 | San Francisco 49ers | 4-11 | .558 |
| 6 | Miami Dolphins | 5-10 | .453 |
| 7 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-10 | .467 |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens | 5-10 | .489 |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-9 | .453 |
| 10 | New York Giants | 6-9 | .498 |
| 11 | New Orleans Saints | 6-9 | .507 |
| 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | 6-9 | .520 |
| 13 | Detroit Lions | 6-9 | .545 |
| 14 | Chicago Bears | 6-9 | .554 |
| 15 | Buffalo Bills | 7-8 | .500 |
| 15 | Oakland Raiders | 7-8 | .500 |
| 17 | Indianapolis Colts | 7-8 | .518 |
| 18 | St. Louis Rams | 7-8 | .545 |
| 19 | Atlanta Falcons | 8-7 | .476 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-6 | .532 |
| 21 | Seattle Seahawks | 9-6 | – |
| 22 | New York Jets | 10-5 | – |
| 23 | Kansas City Chiefs | 10-5 | – |
| 24 | Minnesota Vikings | 10-5 | – |
| 25 | Washington Redskins | 8-7 | – |
| 26 | Houston Texans | 8-7 | – |
| 27 | Green Bay Packers | 10-5 | – |
| 28 | Denver Broncos | 10-4 | – |
| 29 | Cincinnati Bengals | 11-3 | – |
| 31 | Arizona Cardinals | 13-2 | – |
| 30 | New England Patriots* | 12-3 | – |
| 32 | Carolina Panthers | 14-1 | – |
* New England Patriots' selection has been forfeited
** 21-32 based on projected playoff seeding, not record or strength of schedule
The following are the final games on the schedules of each of the teams that hold a pick ahead of the 49ers.
| Tennessee Titans' Remaining Game |
| at Indianapolis Colts |
| Cleveland Browns' Remaining Game |
| vs Pittsburgh Steelers |
| San Diego Chargers' Remaining Game |
| at Denver Broncos |
| Dallas Cowboys' Remaining Game |
| vs Washington Redskins |