Just one game is left in the NFL season and it will decide the final two spots of the first round in the 2017 NFL Draft. But the other 30 spots are locked in after the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship, and the New England Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship.
NFL Draft 2017 order: Packers own 29th pick, Steelers get 30th pick
The Packers were defeated soundly by the Falcons and the Steelers were routed by the Patriots.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Green Bay got hot in the latter half of the season, but has holes to fill in the offseason. The team struggled to find a consistent face at running back and dealt with a lack of depth at cornerback and wide receiver when injuries ravaged both positions.
The Steelers don’t have many glaring needs after finishing 2016 with a well-balanced team that was No. 10 in points scored and No. 10 in points allowed. The team has enough salary cap space to make sure playmakers like Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown aren’t going anywhere, so the team’s No. 30 pick may be best used on the defensive side of the ball.
The final two selections in the 2017 NFL Draft’s first round will be decided in two weeks with Super Bowl LI. The loser will select 31st and the winner will have the final selection in the round.
Selections late in the first round are often used as trade bait by Super Bowl-quality teams that don’t have glaring needs. In each of the last five drafts at least one of the final two selections in the first round was traded.
With the AFC Championship and Super Bowl still to play, this is the full order of the 2017 NFL Draft:
# | Team | Record | Strength of schedule |
|---|
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