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It was nice not having to even think about the 2014 NFL Draft for the first 16 weeks of the regular season since the Detroit Lions were in the mix for the NFC North title up until they lost to the New York Giants on Sunday. Now they're officially out of the playoff race, though, meaning it's officially time to switch into draft mode.
When the Lions were in control of first place in the NFC North and in line for a playoff spot, they were slated to pick somewhere in the 20s in the 2014 NFL Draft order, depending on the results of the postseason. Now, though, with the Lions in third place in the NFC North and 7-8 overall, they are currently in line for the 12th overall pick. Via Bucs Nation, here's a section of the current 2014 NFL Draft order:
9. Tennessee Titans (6-9)
10. New York Giants (6-9)
11. Buffalo Bills (6-9)
12. Detroit Lions (7-8)
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8)
14. New York Jets (7-8)
15. St. Louis Rams (7-8)
16. Green Bay Packers (7-7-1)
17. Dallas Cowboys (8-7)
18. Baltimore Ravens (8-7)
19. San Diego Chargers (8-7)
There are still a lot of moving parts when it comes to where the Lions will ultimately end up picking considering so many teams from 9-19 have similar records. However, it's important to note that the Lions have an extremely weak schedule, which is good news for potential tiebreaker situations. The Lions should end up coming out with a higher pick than any team that ends up with the same record as them, so that's one thing working in their favor when it comes to the draft order for 2014.
