The ugly loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15 marked the third straight defeat for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last week, Mike Tomlin's team was firmly in the playoff race -- clinging to the 6th seed in the AFC playoff picture. Just days later, the Steelers have plummeted in the standing and are suddenly the 10th team in the AFC as we get set to enter Week 16.
Last year, the Steelers narrowly missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record and earned the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft -- a pick that they ultimately packaged in a trade to move up three spots in the first round. Could they be headed for similar draft capital in 2023?
Three weeks is still plenty of time to see a colossal shift in records and standings, but here's where every team would be selecting in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft if the season ended today, according to Tankathon.com.
2024 NFL Draft Order if season ended ahead of Week 16:
1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
2. New England Patriots
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. Washington Commanders
5. Chicago Bears
6. New York Jets
7. New York Giants
8. Los Angeles Chargers
9. Tennessee Titans
10. Atlanta Falcons
11. Green Bay Packers
12. Las Vegas Raiders
13. Seattle Seahawks
14. New Orleans Saints
15. Denver Broncos
16. Pittsburgh Steelers
17. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
18. Buffalo Bills
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20. Minnesota Vikings
21. Los Angeles Rams
22. Indianapolis Colts
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Kansas City Chiefs
26. Houston Texans (via Browns)
27. Dallas Cowboys
28. Detroit Lions
29. Miami Dolphins
30. Philadelphia Eagles
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Baltimore Ravens
Right now, this draft order is based on overall records and tiebreakers. We obviously don't know how things will turn out when it comes to the playoff picture. Teams that get past the Wild Card round will be locked into a late first-round pick, and it's possible that teams with a better record during the season could earn a higher draft choice if they are eliminated early.
The top of the draft is still dominated by the Chicago Bears who would own two top-five selections if the 2023 season ended today. The Cardinals also have two first-round picks next April, but their second selection comes from the Houston Texans, who are surprisingly playing their way out of giving Arizona two high picks this year.
Steelers are flying up the draft board
Last week at this time, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have been picking in the 20s in the first round. Just one week later, Pittsburgh has risen up the draft board thanks to their loss. They now would own the 16th overall pick if the season ended today.
There is potential for this to rise much higher, depending on how this team finishes down the stretch. The Steelers are currently ahead of two other teams tied at 7-7 (the Saints and the Broncos). Additionally, there are three more teams tied at 6-8.
In the unlikely event all of the aforementioned teams finish with a better record than the Steelers in the final three games, it's still possible to earn the 10th overall pick in next April's draft. However, it's more reasonable to think that Pittsburgh will level out and land somewhere in the late teens when it comes to their first-round draft choice.