2017 NFL Draft Order Through Week 15
With just two weeks to go, the NFL playoff picture is starting to get clearer. The Cowboys, Seahawks, Patriots, and Raiders have already punched their playoff tickets while the Chiefs, Steelers, Falcons, and Giants are considered near locks by the forecasts at Five Thirty Eight.
Here’s a look at where the draft order stands for the teams not currently slated to make the cut (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
1. Browns 0-14
2. 49ers 1-13
3. Jaguars 2-12
4. Bears 3-11
5. Jets 4-10
6. Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-10
7. Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 5-9
8. Chargers 5-9
9. Cardinals 5-8-1
10. Bengals 5-8-1
11. Panthers 6-8
12. Saints 6-8
13. Bills 7-7
14. Colts 7-7
15. Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-7
16. Redskins 7-6-1
17. Titans 8-6
17. Ravens 8-6 (Note: The Titans and Ravens are currently knotted up in terms of both record and strength of schedule. In all statistical likelihood, the SOS logjam will be broken by the end of the season.)
19. Texans 8-6
20. Buccaneers 8-6
Could Su'a Cravens Ultimately Move To Safety?
- Su’a Cravens may miss the rest of the season with a biceps injury, but that has not stopped speculation surrounding the young defensive playmaker and how he will fit in with the Redskins moving forward. Thus far, Cravens has worked exclusively as an inside linebacker, but given his strength in the passing game, JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com believes he may ultimately be better-suited as a safety, especially since the Redskins do not have a long-term answer at strong safety.
10 Coaching Candidates For The Rams
In an iconic scene from season nine of The Simpsons, Krusty the Klown announced his retirement to a scrum of not-so-stunned reporters. 
“But Krusty,” one reporter asks. “Why now? Why not twenty years ago?”
It wouldn’t have been out of place for any Rams beat reporter to channel that sentiment and ask a similar question of COO Kevin Demoff when he addressed the media on Monday. Jeff Fisher‘s dismissal was long overdue and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of the coach’s family who disagrees.
For now, the Rams will turn things over to special teams coordinator John Fassel on an interim basis. While this is ostensibly a chance for Fassel to impress team brass and land the head coaching job for 2017, most are expecting the Rams to hire a name brand coach that will energize the fan base and give the team some additional panache in free agency.
With a few weeks to go between now and the official end of the Rams’ season, here are ten names that could be considered for the job:
Jim Harbaugh, head coach at the University of Michigan: Some say that living well is the best revenge. Others say that the best revenge against your former employer is setting up shop across the street and destroying them. Santa Clara-to-Los Angeles is a lengthy drive, but you get what we’re getting at.
Harbaugh, in theory, could leave his alma mater and crush the 49ers by joining up with a divisional rival. The Rams have reportedly been loafing in practice and Harbaugh is the kind of throwback disciplinarian that the team badly needs. It’s fair to assume that the Rams will get in contact with Harbaugh, but it will be tough to get him to leave his lucrative job in Ann Arbor.
With National Signing Day around the corner, Harbaugh could publicly remove himself himself from consideration if he is not at all interested in an NFL return. Alternatively, if Harbaugh wants to get sweet revenge against the Niners, Stan Kroenke better have his checkbook ready. Signing Harbaugh could cost upwards of $10MM/year and that’s before factoring in his buyout clause with the Wolverines. If Harbaugh bolts, he’ll owe U-M the prorated portion of his $2MM signing bonus. With two of the seven years served, 5/7ths of that amount comes out to roughly $1.43MM.
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Redskins Promote Nick Moody
- The Redskins announced that they’ve promoted linebacker Nick Moody from the practice squad to the active roster and placed defensive end Anthony Lanier on injured reserve. Lanier, 26, has 25 games of NFL experience under his belt since entering the league as a San Francisco draft pick in 2013.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OL Blaine Clausell
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Mario Alford
Indianpolis Colts
- Signed: T Pierce Burton
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Kyle Carter, T Marquis Lucas
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Justin Zimmer
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Adam Gettis
- Cut: OL Laurence Gibson, RB George Winn
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Anthony Denham
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Shaquille Riddick
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OT Mitchell Van Dyk
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB David Fluellen
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL A.J. Francis, DB Shakiel Randolph
- Cut: DL Trevon Coley, DB Lee Hightower
2017 NFL Draft Order Through Most Of Week 14
The final month of the regular season will dictate the playoff futures for teams like the Cowboys, Patriots, Chiefs, and Raiders. For other teams, the postseason is a statistical impossibility. Already, the Jets, Jaguars, Browns, Rams, Bears, and 49ers have been mathematically eliminated. The Chargers, Saints, Panthers, Eagles, Bengals, and Cardinals are not technically out of it, but their chances are remote.
Here’s where those teams and the others not currently ticketed for the playoffs stand in the draft order (Note – Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
- Browns 0-13
- 49ers 1-12
- Jaguars 2-11
- Bears 3-10
- Rams 4-9 (pick belongs to Titans)
- Jets 4-9
- Panthers 5-8
- Chargers 5-8
- Saints 5-8
- Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 5-8
- Cardinals 5-7-1
- Bengals 5-7-1
- Bills 6-7
- Colts 6-7
- Titans 7-6
- Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-6
- Packers 7-6
- Redskins 7-5-1
- Ravens 7-5 (Note – The Ravens play their Week 14 game tonight against the Patriots.)
- Dolphins 8-5
Strength of schedule via SB Nation.
Redskins’ Su’a Cravens Likely Done For Season
The Redskins fear that rookie linebacker Su’a Cravens has a partially torn biceps, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Such an injury would presumably knock Cravens out for the remainder of the season, and Rapoport says Cravens will undergo an MRI on Monday to further determine the severity of the tear.
[RELATED: Washington Redskins Depth Chart]
Cravens, drafted in the second round out of USC, has played as something of a hybrid ‘backer this season, managing to see action on 36.5% of Washington’s defensive snaps while playing primarily in coverage. Through 10 games (three starts), Cravens has 22 tackles, one sack, one interception, and five passes defensed, all while grading as the league’s No. 27 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus. Cravens has also played 35.9% of the Redskins’ special teams snaps.
Meanwhile, fellow linebacker Will Compton will also undergo an MRI tomorrow after a knee injury, but he’s been informed that his major ligaments are intact, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Compton has played nearly every defensive snap for the Redskins this season, so losing him and Cravens could serve as something of a death blow to a Washington defense that already ranks in the bottom-third of DVOA.
DeSean Jackson Not Focused On Free Agency
- Despite recent reports that the Eagles will pursue Redskins wideout DeSean Jackson at season’s end, and despite reports that the interest is mutual, Jackson himself says that free agency is not on his mind at the moment, per John Keim of ESPN.com. Jackson said, “Who knows what happens in free agency? If I’m a free agent, I might seek some options and wherever it takes me, it takes me. It’s not my focus now. We have four games left here. Whatever happens, happens at the end of the season.”
Should Redskins Keep D-Jax?
- Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are headed for free agency and it has been said that the Redskins will not retain both players. Which wide receiver should be retained? Mark Bullock of The Washington Post dove deep into game footage to figure out which player is more valuable for Washington. He concludes that the Redskins should keep Jackson because he is still a legitimate deep threat, something the team lacks without him. In addition to his own touchdown bombs, Bullock says that DJax can open up space for Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder.
Redskins Bring Kory Lichtensteiger Off IR
SATURDAY, 5:35pm: Washington activated the ninth-year veteran and seventh-year Redskins starter in advance of their Week 14 game, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). He’s expected to serve as the backup behind Sullivan against the Eagles. To make room for Lichtensteiger’s return, the team cut defensive lineman A.J. Francis, per Jones.
WEDNESDAY, 12:20pm: The Redskins announced that Kory Lichtensteiger will return from injured reserve. In related news, cornerback Dashaun Phillips has been signed to the practice squad.
Lichtensteiger was placed on IR in September after suffering a calf injury. That was a tough blow for a Redskins team that was already thin at the center position. When he went down, Washington turned to Spencer Long and added veteran John Sullivan as a backup. So far, Long has done a decent job, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 21 center out of 37 qualified players. Sullivan, with just 43 total snaps, is not among those qualifying players, but he has a similar grade in his smaller sample size. Ditto for Lichtensteiger, who has 159 snaps on the year.
Phillips started the year as the Redskins’ primary nickel cornerback. Earlier this week, he was released, but he’s now on call in case a spot opens up again in D.C.