How is the draft order decided in the NFL? Why is there no lottery like in the NBA?
From its ordering, to the lack of a lottery system like the NBA, the NFL’s Draft is critical in its importance. Here’s how it works and why it’s like that.
With the dust finally settled after the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory in the 2025 Super Bowl, attention now turns to the NFL Draft as teams gear up for the challenge of a new season and the building of a successful future.
This year, the spotlight seems to be on several standout players like Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter, both of whom could be heading to the Tennessee Titans, while the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants are expected to be in the mix for whichever of those top prospects is still available, along with other potential stars like Cam Ward and Will Campbell.
The 2025 NFL Draft will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network, and for the first time ever, it will take place in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
But how exactly is the Draft order determined in the NFL? And why doesn’t the league use a lottery system like the NBA? Let’s find out.
“The most complete player in the 2025 NFL Draft.”@TravisHunterJr will give you 100% effort on both sides of the ball 🏈
— NFL (@NFL) April 19, 2025
📺: 2025 #NFLDraft – April 24-26 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9bfpjoid2S
How is the NFL Draft ordered?
As you know, there are 32 teams in the NFL and every team receives one pick in each of the seven rounds of the NFL Draft. The order in which the teams pick is the opposite of the order in which they finished the previous season. Simply put, the team with the worst record picks first, while the team with the best record - the Super Bowl champions - pick last, the Eagles getting that ‘honor’ this season. The 20 teams that didn’t make the playoffs receive the Nos. 1-20 picks in the draft.
The remaining 12 teams who played postseason football, see their draft order determined by the results in the postseason and the regular season. The four teams that were eliminated in the Wild Card round receive picks 21-24; the four teams eliminated in the Divisional Round receive picks 25-28; the two teams eliminated in the conference championship receive picks 29 and 30; and the team who lost the Super Bowl receives the 31st pick with the winner receiving the last pick at 32.
For those teams with picks 21-30, the order is from worst to best record in the regular season. There are of course other factors to consider when it comes to the Draft order, but these are the basics.
Why doesn’t the NFL use a lottery system like the NBA?
The simple answer is that the NFL wishes to maintain the integrity of the regular season and the competitive balance of the league. As mentioned above, the order in which a team picks in the draft is inherently connected to its standing in the previous campaign. Now, while one might think that could lead to ‘tanking’ as we’ve seen in recent times in the NBA, it actually doesn’t.
The first reason being the significantly shorter length of the season. With only 18 games played, most teams are still in contention for a playoff spot in Week 12. Then, we’ve got the fact that simply adding one or two stars to the roster out of the Draft can’t turn a team into contenders.
- Tennessee Titans
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Giants
- New England Patriots
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New York Jets
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Chicago Bears
- San Francisco 49ers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Miami Dolphins
- Indianapolis Colts
- Atlanta Falcons
- Arizona Cardinals
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Denver Broncos
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Houston Texans
- Los Angeles Rams
- Baltimore Ravens
- Detroit Lions
- Washington Commanders
- Buffalo Bills
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Philadelphia Eagles
A “Did You Know?” on the night of the NBA Draft lottery:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 17, 2022
From 1947-1958, the NFL would award a Bonus Pick on the day of the draft that would become the 1st overall pick. It was drawn out of a hat.
That would make for *insanity* if it existed still today. pic.twitter.com/7gFGxPWNSJ
Consider the Jaguars who have picked in the top 5 for several seasons and are yet to make any headway. Now, consider the Patriots who have picked in the top 20 maybe five times since the turn of the century and have won several Super Bowls in that time.
Ultimately, the league doesn’t use a lottery system because as is the case with any lottery they can be subject to manipulation. There are in fact countless rumors and stories of the corruption that takes place in the NBA’s lottery, a story for another time.
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