
49ers' Rooting Guide for 2021 NFL Draft Implications of Week 15
The 2020 NFL season hasn't gone according to plan for the San Francisco 49ers. While the dreaded Super Bowl hangover may have played a role in San Francisco's 5-8 record to this point, the injury bug has been the bigger monster.
Injuries to players like Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, Richard Sherman, Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Raheem Mostert and Deebo Samuel have hurt the 49ers in both short- and long-term windows. Now, the postseason is all but a pipe dream for San Francisco.
There is, of course, a silver lining in the 49ers' disappointing season. That's the 2021 NFL draft and a crack at elite prospects like Oregon tackle Penei Sewell, Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II or even one of the top quarterbacks.
If the 49ers are going to secure a high draft pick, they're going to need a little help. Losing out is part of the equation, but San Francisco will need other teams to start winning if it's going to jump into the top 10.
For fans hoping to see a top-10 pick happen, here's a rooting guide for Week 15. First, though, let's take a look at where things stand in the early draft order.
Current Draft Order, Top 16
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1. New York Jets 0-13
2. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-12
3. Cincinnati Bengals 2-19-1
4. Dallas Cowboys 4-9
5. Carolina Panthers 4-9
6. Atlanta Falcons 4-9
7. Miami Dolphins (from Houston) 4-9
8. Philadelphia Eagles 4-8-1
9. Los Angeles Chargers 5-9
10. New York Giants 5-8
11. Detroit Lions 5-8
12. San Francisco 49ers 5-8
13. Denver Broncos 5-8
14. Minnesota Vikings 6-7
15. Chicago Bears 6-7
16. New England Patriots 6-7
*From Tankathon
Teams Above San Francisco
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Naturally, San Francisco's first step toward entering the top 10 will be losing to the Dallas Cowboys. Three teams sit right below San Francisco in the draft order—the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots—and a loss will keep them behind.
A loss will also hand Dallas a win and move the two teams into a tie at 5-9. The Los Angeles Chargers sit at 5-9 following their Thursday night win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Other important games involving teams above San Francisco in the draft order include the following:
Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers (Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET, NFL Network)
The Carolina Panthers have a one-game lead over San Francisco in the draft order. For the 49ers to pull even with them, they'll need the Panthers to upset the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
On paper, a Panthers upset will be a hard thing to root for. Green Bay is playing for the NFC's No. 1 seed, while Carolina is likely to be without star running back Christian McCaffrey once again. He's listed as doubtful, though the Panthers aren't throwing in the towel or looking to shut him down for the season.
"We’re trying to win all the time. We’re not winning the way we want, but we’re trying to win," Panthers coach Matt Rhule said, per ESPN's David Newton.
Is an upset unlikely? Sure, but stranger things have happened.
Rooting Interest: Go Panthers!
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Fox)
Like Carolina, the Atlanta Falcons have a one-game lead in the draft order. Also like Carolina, the Falcons are facing a tough matchup against a (likely) playoff-bound squad.
This game could be better positioned for an upset than the Panthers-Packers tilt, however. Divisional games are always unpredictable, and the Falcons have the weapons needed to test Tampa Bay's 21st-ranked pass defense.
If Matt Ryan and the Falcons can get going through the air, they can turn this game into a shootout. From there, one or two mistakes from Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady could be enough to hand Atlanta a victory.
Rooting Interest: Go Falcons!
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, CBS)
The Miami Dolphins sit one game ahead of the 49ers in the draft order because they hold the Houston Texans' first-round pick. Thanks to last year's Laremy Tunsil trade, the 49ers should now be rooting for Houston to win here in Week 15.
We have another divisional game here, which could lead to some shenanigans. The Texans narrowly lost to the Indianapolis Colts the last time these two teams met—thanks to a botched snap with Houston in position for a late go-ahead touchdown.
If Deshaun Watson and Co. can finish the job this time around, the 49ers can move into a tie with the Dolphins near the top of the draft.
Rooting Interest: Go Texans
Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals (Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox)
The Philadelphia Eagles are even closer to the 49ers in the draft order thanks to their Week 3 tie with the Cincinnati Bengals. They can actually fall behind San Francisco if they can pull out a win against the Arizona Cardinals.
This could be the game that provides San Francisco fans with the most hope of moving up. The Eagles proved last week that they can hand with elite teams with rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts playing efficient football.
In Week 14, Hurts and the Eagles upset the New Orleans Saints, who were then in control of the NFC's No. 1 seed.
Arizona is a playoff-caliber team fighting for its playoff life, so this game is far from a gimme. However, it won't be a total shock if the Eagles pull off an upset for the second-straight week.
Rooting Interest: Go Eagles!
Teams Tied with San Francisco in the Draft Order
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San Francisco can move into a tie with the teams above it in Week 15, increasing the odds of securing a top-10 selection. However, if the 49ers hope to separate themselves from the pack and further increase those odds, they should hope to see the Detroit Lions, New York Giants and Denver Broncos—all teams who share San Francisco's 5-8 record—pick up wins.
Here, a look at the games involving those three teams.
Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos (Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network)
Draft-focused 49ers fans will have two games to cheer this Saturday. The Broncos host the Buffalo Bills in the early sot.
Buffalo is closing in on an AFC East division title, and it isn't going to overlook the Broncos. However, Denver isn't a pushover, as evidenced by its Week 11 win over the Miami Dolphins and a close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13.
Having home-field advantage should help the Broncos here. If Denver's 10th-ranked pass defense can fluster Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the Broncos will have a chance.
Rooting Interest: Go Broncos!
Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, CBS)
We have yet another on-paper mismatch here. The Tennessee Titans are looking to stay atop the AFC South race, while the Lions are just trying to figure out what they have without former head coach Matt Patricia.
Detroit's 29th-ranked run defense makes for a serious mismatch against Tennessee running back Derrick Henry. If the Titans are able to implement their usual run-first-and-run-often game plan, this one could get ugly quickly.
However, the Lions will have a shot. If they can torch Tennessee's questionable secondary and jump out to an early lead—as the Cleveland Browns did a couple of weeks ago—they can take the Titans out of their game plan.
Rooting Interest: Go Lions!
Cleveland Browns at New York Giants (Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
While the 9-4 Browns have a much better record than the 5-8 Giants, this isn't really that much of a mismatch. The Browns have largely feasted on bad teams, and New York's ninth-ranked scoring defense can keep this one close.
This one could come down to the health of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. The 2019 first-round pick is dealing with hamstring and ankle issues and may be forced to miss Sunday night's game.
"I was encouraged with how he moved around [Wednesday] in practice, how he threw the ball, how he was in the pocket," Giants coach Joe Judge said, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. "That being said, we’ll have to see him really at a faster tempo.
Here's to hoping that Jones suits up and leads the Giants to victory.
Rooting Interest: Go Giants!

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