The Raiders and 49ers participated in a coin flip Friday at the NFL Combine to determine who will select No. 9 overall, and who will pick No. 10, in the 2018 NFL Draft. The 49ers won the coin flip, giving them the 9th overall pick, and the Raiders 10th.
How the Raiders-49ers coin flip will decide the 2018 NFL Draft order, in a 2-minute read
The No. 9 and No. 10 picks are on the line.
The result of the coin flip will also affect the Patriots. They own the 49ers’ second-round pick thanks to the Jimmy Garoppolo trade. So because the 49ers won, the Patriots will pick 43rd.
Why is the coin flip necessary?
The Raiders and 49ers both finished with 6-10 records when the season ended. The main tiebreaker is strength of schedule, but both teams had identical resumes there as well. The other tiebreakers weren’t relevant for them, either. So here we are!
When will it happen?
The event — which can be attended by fans — will be at 12:30 p.m. ET at the combine’s bench press. There are stands where the bench press takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium, so there could be a sizable audience for something as simple as the flip of a coin.
Who is flipping the coin?
Pro Football Hall of Famer and (briefly) former Oakland Raider (and even more briefly) former San Francisco 49er Rod Woodson.
Will we get to watch it?
Yup, it will air on NFL Network. Or you can watch Twitter where it will almost certainly be live-tweeted by every NFL reporter.
Is it going to be any fun?
It could be! Just like last year with the Vikings and Colts, a special coin for the very big and meaningful occasion has been made:
Even more fun could be some shenanigans from 49ers general manager John Lynch and Raiders coach Jon Gruden, if we’re lucky:
Look, you can only get so excited for a coin toss. At least they’re trying. The Ravens and Cowboys had a coin flip in 2014, where Baltimore live streamed a few guys in an empty conference room for the event.
So this will be more exciting than that, at least.
Where can I find the NFL draft order?
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