Honestly, looking back at the NFL draft 2025 order feels a bit like looking at a car crash in slow motion. We all knew some teams were headed for disaster, but seeing the Tennessee Titans officially "win" the race to the bottom by securing that No. 1 overall pick was something else. If you were following the standings back in early 2025, you remember the chaos. Three different teams finished with identical 3-14 records, and the tiebreaker drama was basically a second season of its own.
People often mix up how the order actually shook out because of all those mid-season trades and the way strength of schedule (SoS) flipped the script for the top five teams. It wasn't just about who lost the most. It was about who played the "easiest" schedule, which, ironically, makes your path to the first pick much harder.
The Top 10 Breakdown: Who Landed Where
The top of the draft was a mess of tiebreakers. You had the Titans, Browns, and Giants all sitting at 3-14. Tennessee ended up with the top spot because their strength of schedule was the lowest of the group at .522. Basically, they were "worse" against a "weaker" set of opponents.
Here is how that first round actually looked for the teams that couldn't quite find the win column:
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The Tennessee Titans took the No. 1 spot. They didn't overthink it; they grabbed Cam Ward out of Miami. It was the move everyone saw coming after they moved on from the Will Levis experiment mid-season.
The Cleveland Browns followed at No. 2. Their season was a nightmare of offensive stagnation. Even with a defense that looked top-tier on paper, they just couldn't score. They were followed closely by the New York Giants at No. 3. The Giants' season was a rollercoaster of "almosts," but almost doesn't win games in the NFC East.
Rounding out the top five were the New England Patriots at No. 4 and the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 5. Both teams finished 4-13. The Patriots actually had a shot at the No. 1 pick late in December, but a surprise win against the Jets—of all teams—pushed them down.
The Rest of the Top 10
The back half of the top ten was dominated by the "five-win club."
- Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6): They actually won two straight to end the year, which drove their fans crazy because it dropped them out of the top three.
- New York Jets (No. 7): Total dysfunction. The Aaron Rodgers era ended with a whimper and a 5-12 record.
- Carolina Panthers (No. 8): They desperately needed edge help and sat right in the sweet spot of the defensive talent pool.
- New Orleans Saints (No. 9): The only 5-11 team (they had a weird schedule quirk), marking their worst finish since before the Sean Payton years.
- Chicago Bears (No. 10): A 5-12 finish that felt like a step backward, especially with the offensive line struggles they faced all year.
Why Strength of Schedule Changed Everything
The NFL draft 2025 order wasn't just a list of records. It was a math problem. When teams tie, the NFL looks at the aggregate winning percentage of all 17 opponents a team played. The team with the lower percentage gets the higher pick.
It’s kind of backwards, right? If you played easy teams and still lost, the NFL decides you need more help than the team that lost while playing a gauntlet of Super Bowl contenders. This is exactly why the San Francisco 49ers ended up all the way at No. 11 despite only winning six games. Their strength of schedule was a massive .564, the highest among the bottom-dwellers. They were penalized for playing in a tough division.
Draft Day Trades That Shook the Board
You can't talk about the 2025 order without mentioning the picks that moved. The Chicago Bears were all over the place. While they held their own pick at No. 10, they also had the Panthers' second-round pick (No. 39) from previous deals.
Then you had the Buffalo Bills. They were active in the middle rounds, swapping picks with the Vikings and Texans. It turned the second and third rounds into a bit of a scavenger hunt for fans trying to keep track of who was on the clock. Honestly, if you weren't glued to a live tracker, you probably missed three different trades in the span of an hour on Friday night.
The Green Bay Atmosphere
The actual event took place at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. It was freezing. Well, maybe not "frozen tundra" freezing since it was April, but for the fans sitting in the Titletown District, it was definitely a "bring a heavy jacket" kind of weekend. Seeing the draft held at such a historic site added a level of gravity to the NFL draft 2025 order that you don't always get in the flashy Vegas or Nashville setups.
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Actionable Insights for Future Seasons
If you’re trying to predict how the draft order will fall for next year, stop just looking at the "L" column. You've got to track the "Opponent Win %" early.
- Watch the Tiebreakers: If your team is tied with three others at 4-13, start rooting for the teams your team already played to lose. It lowers your SoS and raises your pick.
- Trade Value Charts: Teams still use a version of the old Jimmy Johnson point system. A No. 1 pick is worth about 3,000 points. If a team wants to jump from No. 10 to No. 1, they aren't just giving up a future first; they're giving up the house.
- Compensatory Picks: Don't forget the "hidden" picks at the end of rounds 3 through 7. These are handed out for losing free agents, and in 2025, teams like the 49ers and Rams cleaned up, getting extra bites at the apple at picks 100 and 101.
To get a leg up on next year's cycle, start a spreadsheet now to track "Games Behind" alongside "Strength of Schedule." It’s the only way to stay ahead of the curve before the official NFL release in January.