Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Two weeks remain in the regular season, and while a number of teams are jockeying for playoff spots several others are still in contention to land a coveted draft slot. It remains to be seen where the No. 1 selection will wind up.

The Giants and Raiders entered Sunday’s action with two wins apiece, and New York’s loss kept the team strongly in contention to kick off the draft in April. By virtue of winning against the Jaguars, though, the Raiders hurt their chances of finding themselves in that position. A top-two spot (or thereabouts) may be required to draft either of this year’s top passers, but a small move up the order positioning Vegas to add one could still be on the table.

Five teams currently sit a 3-12, and a head-to-head matchup between the Titans and Jaguars on Sunday will be key in deciding where each of them wind up. Another three squads own a 4-11 record, so plenty of potential exists in terms of changes being made to the order at the top of the board. Numerous expected suitors for a Day 1 quarterback (including teams like the Browns and Jets) may very well find themselves out of reach for Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders without a trade-up being necessary. The Panthers’ starting situation with Bryce Young is certainly not settled for 2025, but adding a passer on Day 1 would come as a surprise at this point.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

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

This NFL season saw several teams slip out of contention quicker than usual, slimming wild-card races and expanding the pursuit for the No. 1 overall pick. Two teams now lead that race.

While no prospect on the Caleb Williams level is dangling for the Raiders and Giants, an interesting showdown has formed. With three weeks to go, the Giants would currently hold the top 2025 draft choice. But based on projected strength of schedule, the Raiders would win the tiebreaker if the results held. The team with the weaker overall strength of schedule would win that. The Giants still have a game against the 12-2 Eagles, while the Raiders’ upcoming matchup with the 3-11 Jaguars works in their favor.

The Giants have not held the No. 1 pick in the common draft era (1967-present), last making a choice atop a draft in 1965 (running back Tucker Frederickson). Their Eli Manning trade occurred after the Chargers had chosen the quarterback to start the 2004 draft. The Raiders have held the top pick once in the common draft era, famously choosing JaMarcus Russell to start the ’07 draft. Both teams have coaches fighting for their jobs, but each also has seen All-Pros (Dexter Lawrence, Maxx Crosby) removed from equations. Losers of 10 straight, the Raiders follow their Jaguars matchup with games against the Saints and Chargers. The Giants, who have dropped nine consecutive games, go Falcons-Colts-Eagles to close the season.

Five 3-11 teams sit behind the Raiders and Giants presently, with the NFL having nine teams who have already lost double-digit contests. If a Giants or Raiders win occurs, there are candidates to move toward pole position in what could be races for Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. Though, a non-Giants or Raiders team finishing in the top two creates a bit more intrigue, as both those clubs are in dire need of QB help.

With an eye on teams’ projected strength of schedule based on current records, here is how the draft order looks with three games to go:

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