If the season ended Monday night in Mexico, the Houston Texans would comfortably hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Texans (1-8-1) hold the top pick based on win-loss records through Week 11, ahead of the Carolina Panthers (3-8) and Chicago Bears (3-8).
Houston would also pick seventh, a selection owed the Texans as part of the Deshaun Watson trade with the Cleveland Browns (3-7).
The Texans and Panthers are unsettled at quarterback, with Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud projected to be among the top passers in the draft. Field Level Media rates Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson as the No. 1 prospect entering December.
Seattle is in the playoff picture — 6-4 and in second place in the NFC West by virtue of a tiebreaker held by the first-place 49ers — but also sitting pretty with the No. 5 overall pick, behind the Las Vegas Raiders (3-7). The Seahawks own the first-round pick and prime draft position as a result of their March trade with the Denver Broncos for quarterback Russell Wilson.
The Broncos (3-7) have lost consecutive games and play the Panthers on Sunday, which will have big draft implications.
Streaking Detroit, winners of three in a row with the traditional Thanksgiving game ahead, is currently sixth. The Lions’ pick is also a result of a trade — with the Los Angeles Rams — for their former franchise quarterback, Matthew Stafford. The Lions would also pick 13th, their own choice.
Here is the current top 15 in the 2023 draft based on team records through Week 11:
1. Houston Texans
2. Carolina Panthers
3. Chicago Bears
4. Las Vegas Raiders
5. Seattle Seahawks (from DEN)
6. Detroit Lions (from LAR)
7. Houston Texans (from CLE)
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Philadelphia Eagles (from NO)
11. Arizona Cardinals
12. Green Bay Packers
13. Detroit Lions
14. Indianapolis Colts
15. Atlanta Falcons
–Field Level Media
