A win on Sunday night against the St. Louis Rams meant the Seahawks were automatically bumped to the back of the NFL Draft line. A loss would’ve mean the eighth pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, but a win put the Seahawks into the playoffs and pushed them all the way back to No. 21 in the NFL Draft order. It’s one of the quirks of the NFL Draft that makes sense, but also means the Seahawks will pick in the bottom half of the first round, despite finishing with a 7-9 record.
Here’s how the draft order shakes out right now.
1. Carolina (2-14)
2. Denver (4-12)
3. Buffalo (4-12)
4. Cincinnati (4-12)
5. Arizona (5-11)
6. Cleveland (5-11)
7. San Francisco (6-10)
8. Tennessee (6-10)
9. Dallas (6-10)
10. Washington (6-10)
11. Houston (6-10)
12. Minnesota (6-10)
13. Detroit (6-10)
14. Miami (7-9)
15. St. Louis (7-9)
16. Jacksonville (8-8)
17. Oakland (8-8)
18. San Diego (9-7)
19. New York Giants (10-6)
20. Tampa Bay (10-6)
21. Seattle (7-9)*
22. Indianapolis (10-6)*
23. Green Bay (10-6)*
24. Kansas City (10-6)*
25. Philadelphia (10-6)*
26. New York Jets (11-5)*
27. New Orleans (11-5)*
28. Chicago (11-5)*
29. Baltimore (12-4)*
30. Pittsburgh (12-4)*
31. Atlanta (13-3)*
32. New England (14-2)*
Notice the * next to those 21st and lower. Playoffs teams will be re-ranked as the playoffs progress, with teams ordered by where they are knocked out of the playoffs. If the Seahawks fall in the first round, they will pick 21st.
Teams are ranked by record and order of knockout during the playoffs. The first round teams that lose will be ranked No. 21 through No. 24. It continues all the way through the Super Bowl, with the champion picking No. 32 and the runner-up No. 31.