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2023 NFL Draft order watch: Detroit Lions currently hold No. 1 pick

The Detroit Lions have the worst record in the NFL, which means they’re trending towards the top pick, and they have the top waiver priority.

Detroit Lions v Dallas Cowboys Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

After Sunday’s Week 7 games, there are only two one-win teams remaining in the NFL: the 1-5 Detroit Lions and the 1-4-1 Houston Texans. And with that, the Lions are suddenly in the position to have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Obviously there’s a lot of football to be played—11 games, to be exact—but it’s a concerning trend for this Lions team that was expected to take at least a moderate jump from last year’s 3-13-1 season. The Lions have already had a top-10 pick in four straight years, and if they finish in the bottom five for 2022, it will be the third time in four years they’ll be picking in the top five (second in 2022, third in 2020).

Here’s a look at the top-10 NFL Draft order for 2023 as of Monday morning, per Tankathon.

Note: Tiebreakers are determined by strength of schedule. Tankathon lists strength of schedule based on each team’s 17-game schedule, not just the games played thus far.

  1. Lions: 1-5
  2. Texans: 1-4-1
  3. Panthers: 2-5 (.427 SOS)
  4. Saints (owned by Eagles): 2-5 (.470)
  5. Browns (owned by Texans): 2-5 (.478)
  6. Broncos (owned by Seahawks): 2-5 (.500)
  7. Steelers: 2-5 (.509)
  8. Jaguars: 2-5 (.545)
  9. Raiders: 2-4 (.461)
  10. Bears: 2-4 (.563)

As of now, the Lions’ other first-round pick—via the Los Angeles Rams—is in the 20 range. We’ll take a closer look at that later in the week.

One other important note: Because the Lions have the worst record in the NFL, they also have the No. 1 priority for waiver claims. That came in handy last year when Detroit acquired wide receiver Josh Reynolds midseason.

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