The Raiders win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday had already thrust San Francisco into the driver's seat for the top draft spot in next year's draft. All three teams own 2-8 records, but the 49ers had a weaker strength of schedule (.485) than the Raiders (.495) and Cardinals (.515).
The strength of schedule, not head-to-head results, is used as a tiebreaker when determining draft positioning among teams with matching records. The current order is based on the season ending today and does not factor in the records of future opponents.
Following Sunday night's game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, the 49ers strength of schedule lowered to .480 while the Raiders and Cardinals saw no change.
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Then came Monday night's shootout between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams. Following the game, the 49ers' strength of schedule remained the same (San Francisco has played both the Chiefs and Rams once this season) while the Raiders' increased to .500. The Raiders played the Rams in Week 1 but will see the Chiefs twice before the season is over, which will increase their strength of schedule. The Cardinals, again, saw no change.
The 49ers, Raiders, and Cardinals would own the respective top three spots in next year's draft if the season ended today, which it does not. Six more weeks remain until the final draft order is determined.
All of this is significant only if the 49ers remain tied with the Raiders and Cardinals as far as records are concerned. Wins by any team will drop them down in the draft order.
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 | San Francisco 49ers | 2-8 | .480 |
| 2 | Oakland Raiders | 2-8 | .500 |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | 2-8 | .515 |
| 4 | New York Jets | 3-7 | .450 |
| 5 | New York Giants | 3-7 | .490 |
| T6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-7 | .550 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-7 | .550 | |
| 8 | Buffalo Bills | 3-7 | .560 |
| 9 | Cleveland Browns | 3-6-1 | .564 |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | 4-6 | .485 |
| 11 | Detroit Lions | 4-6 | .500 |
| 12 | Atlanta Falcons | 4-6 | .520 |
| 13 | Denver Broncos | 4-6 | .573 |
| 14 | Green Bay Packers | 4-5-1 | .540 |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | 5-5 | .450 |
| 16 | Oakland Raiders (from Cowboys) | 5-5 | .470 |
| 17 | Miami Dolphins | 5-5 | .475 |
| 18 | Tennessee Titans | 5-5 | .510 |
| 19 | Seattle Seahawks | 5-5 | .544 |
| 20 | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-5 | .579 |
| 21 | Baltimore Ravens | 5-5 | -- |
| 22 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-4-1 | -- |
| 23 | Carolina Panthers | 6-4 | -- |
| 24 | Los Angeles Chargers | 7-3 | -- |
| 25 | Washington Redskins | 6-4 | -- |
| 26 | Houston Texans | 7-3 | -- |
| 27 | Oakland Raiders (from Bears) | 7-3 | -- |
| 28 | New England Patriots | 7-3 | -- |
| 29 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-2-1 | -- |
| 30 | Green Bay Packers (from Saints) | 9-1 | -- |
| 31 | Kansas City Chiefs | 9-2 | -- |
| 32 | Los Angeles Rams | 10-1 | -- |
* 21-32 based on projected playoff seeding, not record or strength of schedule
** Trades show the record of the origin team
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