A lot of years, the final week of the NFL season carries all sorts of different scenarios for where the Detroit Lions will make their first pick in the upcoming draft. This is not one of those years.
Detroit is already locked into picking either first or second with their top pick. And the formula for picking first or second is pretty straightforward, too.
If the 2-13-1 Lions beat the Green Bay Packers in Ford Field, Detroit will pick second. If the Packers win, the Lions’ fate lies in what happens with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 2-14 Jaguars visit the playoff-bound Indianapolis Colts. If the Jaguars lose, the No. 1 pick is all theirs. If they win and the Lions lose, Detroit ascends (descends?) to the No. 1 pick with a 2-14-1 record.
In the case of Jacksonville tying Indianapolis and the Lions losing to make the records even, the Jaguars would win the No. 1 pick on the basis of a strength-of-schedule tiebreaker.
As for the first-round pick acquired from the Los Angeles Rams, that slot won’t be decided until the Rams are done in the postseason. That pick will be somewhere between No. 23 and No. 32.
