The NFL Draft is one of the most celebrated events in the sports calendar year. It is arguably the biggest among all the major sports in the US. To give an approximate figure, 2024 NFL draft saw 12.1 million viewers tuned in for day 1 across ABC, ESPN, and the NFL’s linear and digital platforms, which preceded average viewership of the 2023 NBA Finals, World Series, and Stanley Cup Final, according to Front Office Sports.
The 2025 NFL draft begins on 24 April 2025 and ends on 26 April 2025. As of February 2025, all 32 franchises have first-round picks, with the Tennessee Titans holding the No.1 overall pick in contrast to 2025 Super Bowl winners, Philadelphia Eagles, who will be picking last in the first round.
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How is the NFL draft order determined?
NFL Draft order is the sequence in which the NFL teams make their selection during the NFL draft. Every NFL team is assigned a particular position before the start of the draft. The teams will have to follow that order to make their picks. The process of determining the NFL Draft order is quite simple. The performance of a team in the previous NFL season will dictate which position a team is assigned during the draft.
What this means is that the teams with the poorest win-loss record will be getting the first selection. The best team in the NFL, that is, the Super Bowl champions, will be getting the last selection.
The NFL Draft order is determined in the reverse order of the previous season’s standings.
The first 18 picks, from 1-18, belong to the teams that did not qualify for the NFL playoffs. These teams will be assigned the position based on their overall standings.
Next, comes what happens to the other 14 teams that make the playoffs.
How is the NFL Draft order determined for the playoff teams?
As we just mentioned, the first 18 selections will belong to the teams that miss the NFL playoffs. 14 teams qualify for the postseason in the NFL.
The process for the teams that make the playoffs remains the same. Picks 19 through pick 24 will belong to the teams that are eliminated in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
Among the teams that got eliminated in the wild-card round, the one with the worst regular season record will pick first among the four teams, i.e. 21st. And the one with the better record will pick last, that is, 24th.
This same process is repeated for all the teams getting eliminated from the playoffs.
Next up, the teams that lose in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs will pick from 25 through 28. The two teams that are eliminated from the AFC and NFC championship games will be given the 29th and 30th pick.
Finally, the team that loses in the Super Bowl will be given the 31st pick and the team that eventually wins the Super Bowl will be given the 32nd pick.
| Status | Draft picks |
| Non-playoff teams | 1–18 |
| Eliminated in the Wild Card round | 19–24 |
| Eliminated in the Divisional round | 25–28 |
| Conference runners-up | 29–30 |
| Super Bowl runner-up | 31 |
| Super Bowl champion | 32 |
Read more about NFL Draft Rounds.
What happens to the draft order if there is a tie?
In such cases, the draft order is based on the comparison of the teams’ strength of schedules. The teams who have lower strength of schedule, that is, opponents with a lower winning percentage, will pick first over the teams who have faced harder teams (via NFL Football Operations).
If the teams tie in this process as well, then the division and conference record of the teams is taken as a parameter. If the tie still exists, then seven tiebreakers are taken into consideration to determine the NFL draft order (via NFL Football Operations).
These tie-breakers include:
Head-to-head
Win-loss-tie percentage in common games
Strength of victories
Points scored vs. points allowed in all games
Best net points in all games
Best net touchdowns
Coin toss
Read more about NFL Playoff Predictor.
Related:
FAQs on NFL Draft
Q. What happens to draft order if there are trades?
A. Teams negotiate during the draft when they’re not on the clock. If the trade does happen, the team moves up or down the orders based on their move.
A. Teams negotiate during the draft when they’re not on the clock. If the trade does happen, the team moves up or down the orders based on their move.
Q. Does the NFL Draft order stay the same every year?
A. No. The NFL draft order is not the same every year. This is because every team performs differently from the previous NFL season. This will influence the order.
A. No. The NFL draft order is not the same every year. This is because every team performs differently from the previous NFL season. This will influence the order.
Q. What determines the order of the NFL Draft?
A. The performance of a team in the previous season determines the NFL draft order. The teams are assigned the sequence based on the reverse order of their standing from the previous season.
A. The performance of a team in the previous season determines the NFL draft order. The teams are assigned the sequence based on the reverse order of their standing from the previous season.
Q. When is the 2025 NFL Draft?
A. The 2025 NFL Draft is from 24 April through 26 April.
A. The 2025 NFL Draft is from 24 April through 26 April.
