Sunday’s soul-sucking loss to the Minnesota Vikings did little to improve the Detroit Lions’ slotting in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Lions moved up one spot, from No. 13 to No. 12 by losing to the Vikings. Ironically it’s the victorious Vikings that now sit at No. 13 after winning their second game in a row.
At 3-5, the Lions are a half-game behind Atlanta and Carolina. The two NFC South rivals are both 3-6. Detroit would hold a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Falcons, however. Three of the top five picks through Sunday’s action belong to NFC East teams.
There is hope for the Lions to kick up quickly. The New England Patriots sit No. 8 entering Monday night at 2-5. If they win, they would improve to the same 3-5 record as Detroit (and Minnesota and Denver), but the Patriots would have the best strength-of-schedule component. That would nudge the Lions up to No. 11.
The full non-playoff draft order through Sunday’s games, courtesy of Tankathon:
