The Packers are currently sitting in spot #10 for the 2019 NFL Draft, but there’s 4 teams bunched just a half a game ahead of them… and the Falcons – this week’s opponent – are one of them.
I’m not a fan of tanking. I think it’s hard to change the mentality of players, it sets a bad (potentially irreversible) precedent, and, as a fan, I just like seeing my team win.
However…
If they’re gonna lose, I want to see the teams with worse records win.
So here’s the update for week 14:
If the Packers lose (meaning the Falcons win), they will move at least into position #9.
But if these happen:
- Lions beat Cardinals
- Bills beat Jets
- Giants beat Redskins
Then the Packers will end the week in preliminary draft position #6. I don’t think any of those are unlikely, I’d even say the odds are good. Even if the Packers win, and those games go our way, it will keep the Packers within striking distance to move up.
The Packers could still concievably, mathematically, pick 1st by the end of the year, but the 49ers and Raiders would each need to win 3 of their next 4 for that to even be possible.
More realistic, if the Packers lose out, which would mean losing to the Jets, they would creep into top 5 territory if the Jaguars beat the Redskins next week. Maybe they get potentially as high as 3 if the Jets pull another upset and the Cardinals get some miracle wins.
So if the Packers lose out, top 5 seems very realistic, but getting to 3 or 4 might be a pipe dream.
Again, I don’t want to lose this week, but if we do, moving into the #6 spot would be a nice consolation prize. It would be the highest they picked since they picked AJ Hawk (instead of Haloti Ngata) in 2006.