The New Orleans Saints (6-9) are currently projected to have the 10th pick in the 2015 NFL draft, according to ESPN Stats and Information. But there’s still a ton of flexibility there with just one week remaining in the 2014 season.
Without doing the math on all of the possible tie-breakers, it appears the Saints could still wind up picking anywhere between seventh and 14th overall. The tie-breaker for teams with the same record is strength of schedule, and the Saints could still wind up tied with a number of different teams if they finish 6-10 or 7-9.
Sunday’s season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-13) is an even bigger deal for Tampa Bay, which could potentially lock up the No. 1 overall pick with a loss.
Based on my Twitter timeline, a lot of fans would love to see the Saints “tank” for a better pick Sunday. But as I wrote earlier this morning, Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief pointed out one of New Orleans’ biggest motivators: auditioning for jobs in 2015.
Strief also added: “And you’re playing not just for yourself, you’re playing for your family, you’re playing for your teammates, you’re playing for the people here who have faith in you, and you’re playing for your fans. So there’s plenty to play for.”
2015 schedule: The Saints are no closer to determining their final two opponents for 2015. Since they could still finish second or third in the NFC South, they could still wind up playing any of the four teams from both the NFC West and NFC North.
The Saints will host the NFC North team that finishes in the same place in the standings. And they will travel to face a NFC West opponent that finishes in the same place.
New Orleans’ other 14 opponents have been pre-determined by the NFL’s rotating schedule:
Home: Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Dallas, N.Y. Giants, Jacksonville, Tennessee, NFC North.
Away: Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Washington, Houston, Indianapolis, NFC West.