The NFL's playoff picture got shaken up this week. The Carolina Panthers hopped back into the NFC South race, the Ravens and Steelers are separating themselves from a competitive AFC North and the NFC West is getting more intriguing by the day.
But what about the other end of the spectrum? What is the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft looking like?
Well, the Oakland Raiders had a strong lead on the competition for the better part of this season. But their pesky 24-13 upset win over the San Francisco 49ers has changed the game. Oakland, with its second win of the year, joins four other teams tied at 2-11. As a result, the tiebreaker is determined by the strength of schedule. The teams that faced the lesser opponents will receive the higher picks. Thanks to their win, the Raiders fell from No. 1 to No. 5.
According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, the top five of the draft current projects like this, with remaining schedules included to give you an idea how things might play out:
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (.480); @ CAR, vs. GB, vs. NO
2. Tennessee Titans (.488); vs. NYJ, @ JAX, vs. IND
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (.519); @ BAL, vs. TEN, @ HOU
4. New York Jets (.549); @ TEN, vs. NE, @ MIA
5. Oakland Raiders (.590); @ KC, vs. BUF, @ DEN
Should the draft order play out like that, several teams will be affected. It was believed that the Raiders and Jaguars would be open to trading out of the No. 1 spot, having used high round picks on quarterbacks last year. With Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston as the top two QB prospects, a handful of teams were rumored to be interested in trading up. These teams include the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and possibly the New Orleans Saints.
However, the Bucs are currently very much without a franchise quarterback. Josh McCown has turned back into a pumpkin this season after his brief success with the Chicago Bears last season. Second-year passer Mike Glennon has shown flashes of competence, but clearly hasn't impressed the front office.
Mariota is currently No. 1 on ESPN draft insider Mel Kiper's Big Board. It would be hard for Tampa Bay to pass on him in the draft, especially if Oregon wins a National Championship this season.
