The Cleveland Browns season ended a day prior to most of the NFL's seasons in Week 18. At 3-14, Cleveland secured a top three pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with their loss to the Baltimore Ravens the Saturday of Week 18 games.
It seemed like since the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans would be playing much better teams than them in Week 18, they'd both lose and the draft order would remain the same its been projected to be since Week 17: New England picking first overall, followed by Tennessee, and capped off with a third overall pick going to Cleveland.
But, because of some last minute shakeups via the Patriots' failure to tank properly, the Browns have found themselves in a better position in the NFL Draft on their day off.
NFL Draft order shifts with Patriots win over Bills in Week 18
With a Patriots win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 18 behind a Joe Milton III masterclass, the NFL Draft order has shaken up at the top. Here's an updated look at that order after the Patriots win and a Titans loss.
Team | Record |
|---|---|
Tennessee Titans | 3-14 |
Cleveland Browns | 3-14 |
New York Giants | 3-14 |
New England Patriots | 4-13 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-12 |
Carolina Panthers | 4-12 |
New York Jets | 4-12 |
Las Vegas Raiders | 4-12 |
Chicago Bears | 4-12 |
New Orleans Saints | 5-11 |
San Francisco 49ers | 6-10 |
Indianapolis Colts | 7-9 |
Dallas Cowboys | 7-9 |
Arizona Cardinals | 7-9 |
Miami Dolphins | 8-8 |
Atlanta Falcons | 8-8 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 9-8 |
Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 |
There are still several afternoon games left to kick off, and several 1 PM EST games that haven't been decided yet, but this is going to be the top three order of the draft regardless of how the rest of the day goes in the NFL.
Read more: Ranking the 5 best free-agent QBs to fix the Browns' Deshaun Watson mess
According to Tankathon, it seems like with the Browns rising up to the second overall pick in the draft, they'd be slated to pick Cam Ward in the first round. However, it feels like Cleveland might be aiming for the best available offensive lineman or wide receiver to plant next to a veteran free agent QB acquired in the offseason and not selecting the consensus second-best available player in Ward.
Ward could, in theory, fit really well in a Kevin Stefanski style offense. With a ton of big throws and a reliance on a run game, a rookie quarterback like Ward who has a big arm could end up really getting the starting role in the offseason over Deshaun Watson.
However, Cleveland might also be able to use their second pick as leverage in a trade down in the draft as a means of taking an O-lineman and acquiring a quarterback from another team looking to move up in the draft, or to just get a bigger pool of second and third rounders.