2016 NFL Draft Order: Latest on First-Round Listings After Week 16

Now that the NFL playoff picture is taking its final form, its inverse is manifesting into next year’s draft order. 

The top pick will be delegated to one of two teams that have weathered woeful seasons over the course of recent memory, as the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans are currently in a deadlock at 3-12 following Sunday's action. 

Who snags the No. 1 selection will be decided in Week 17 and may come down to a strength of schedule tiebreaker, which would steer in Tennessee’s favor—or disfavor, depending on how you look at it—per Adam Schefter of ESPN:

Here is a look at the latest draft order following Sunday afternoon’s games:

Draft Order	Team
1	Tennessee Titans
2	Cleveland Browns
3	San Diego Chargers
4	Dallas Cowboys
5	San Francisco 49ers
6	Miami Dolphins
7	Jacksonville Jaguars
8	Baltimore Ravens
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10	New York Giants
11	New Orleans Saints
12	Philadelphia Eagles
13	Detroit Lions
14	Chicago Bears
15	Oakland Raiders
16	Buffalo Bills
17	Indianapolis Colts
18	St. Louis Rams
19	Atlanta Falcons
20	Pittsburgh Steelers
21	Washington Redskins
22	Houston Texans
23	Seattle Seahawks
24	Minnesota Vikings
25	New York Jets
26	Kansas City Chiefs
27	Green Bay Packers
28	Denver Broncos
29	Cincinnati Bengals
30	New England Patriots*
31	Arizona Cardinals
32	Carolina Panthers

The Titans probably didn’t expect to be in such a situation atop the draft board for the second straight year after selecting Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 pick last spring. 

As Andrew Brandt of Sports Illustrated noted, it’s certainly not an ideal situation given their expectations after last spring:

But much has changed since that day that was projected to be a proverbial turning of the page. 

Tennessee shockingly fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt after a 1-6 start, and Mariota has battled a slew of injuries all season that eventually led to him being shut down for the year. 

Given the Titans are fresh off selecting what they hope will develop into a franchise quarterback, whom the team would take remains an interesting prospect. 

The Titans defense needs improvement, but they’ll likely want to protect their lofty investment in Mariota, who was sacked 38 times before his season ended. Overall, the Titans have allowed 49 sacks this season, tied for a league high. 

Such figures indicate the team would likely elect to upgrade its offensive line, and Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil would fit the proposition. 

Tunsil may not be the best overall player in the draft—and taking an offensive lineman that early isn’t necessarily a jump-out-of-your-seat move—but the 6’5”, 305-pound boulder is considered an immediate impact type of player.

And the Titans saw firsthand as Mariota’s health continually declined how important it will be to protect the guy they hope will anchor their offense for the next decade-plus. 

The Browns, meanwhile, may be in the market for a quarterback—which would be their fourth at the position since 2007. 

Incumbent Johnny Manziel hasn’t lived up to the team's ambitious expectations since Cleveland took him in the first round of 2014, and Josh McCown, who lost his job to Manziel earlier this season, doesn’t seem to be a long-term option either. 

The good news is there are plenty of quarterbacks believed to be on the board. 

Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, California’s Jarred Goff and Michigan State’s Connor Cook are all touted as possible first-round picks and potential franchise leaders. 

Dane Brugler of CBS Sports shared the Browns will also pick up an additional first-round selection with a loss in Week 17:

The extra pick would essentially be a first-round selection at No. 32 overall as part of the New England Patriots’ punishment stemming from Deflategate. In this instance, should the Browns take a quarterback early, they would have another early-rounder to lean on to fill other needs.