I know that the 2012 NFL Draft order is the furthest thing from anybody's mind with a playoff game looming, but for those wondering, the lineup is set for picks 1-20. With Week 17 and the regular season in the books, the order for the non-playoff teams has been determined. Where teams in the playoffs (like the Lions) pick in the 2012 NFL Draft is dependent on what happens in the postseason. The earlier teams lose, the higher they will pick. The later they lose, the later they will pick.
Because the Lions are in the playoffs, they will pick 21st or later. This will be the first time they have had a pick in the 20s since the 2009 NFL Draft, when they used pick No. 20 (from the Cowboys) to select Brandon Pettigrew. The last time they had a pick originally belonging to them in the 20s was in 2000. That year they selected Stockar McDougle 20th overall.
The 2012 NFL Draft order for picks 1-20 is after the jump.
| 1 |
Indianapolis Colts (2-14) |
| 2 |
St. Louis Rams (2-14) |
| 3 |
Minnesota Vikings (3-13) |
| 4 |
Cleveland Browns (4-12) |
| 5 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12) |
| 6 |
Washington Redskins (5-11) |
| 7 |
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) |
| 8* |
Carolina Panthers (6-10) |
| 8* | Miami Dolphins (6-10) |
| 10 | Buffalo Bills (6-10) |
| 11* | Kansas City Chiefs (7-9) |
| 11* | Seattle Seahawks (7-9) |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals (8-8) |
| 14 | Dallas Cowboys (8-8) |
| 15 | Philadelphia Eagles (8-8) |
| 16 | New York Jets (8-8) |
| 17 | Cincinnati Bengals from OAK (8-8) |
| 18 | San Diego Chargers (8-8) |
| 19 | Chicago Bears (8-8) |
| 20 | Tennessee Titans (9-7) |
| Picks 21-32 will determined by playoffs | |
| *Coin flip needed to break tie | |
For a look at strength of schedule for the top 20 picks, check out NFL.com.