Paul Kuharsky, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

If Bucs lose, Titans can't get No. 1 pick

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans are in line for the second spot in the NFL draft on April 30, 2015.

The Titans and Buccaneers are both at 2-13 with one game remaining.

I did some calculations Sunday night that told me the Titans can’t get to No. 1 unless Tampa Bay finishes with three wins. Then, much to my relief, a much smarter writer who’s far better with spreadsheets and probabilities confirmed it.

Rivers McCown of Advanced Football Analytics says the Titans are locked into the No. 2 pick in the draft if they lose to the Colts on Sunday.

Tennessee’s only path to the No. 1 pick is a loss to Indianapolis paired with a Tampa Bay win against New Orleans.

If the Buccaneers lose, they get the No. 1 pick. (Greg Auman of tampabay.com has a report on that.)

The Saints were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday. They beat the Bucs in New Orleans on Oct. 5, 37-31 in overtime.

The draft is more than four months away. But I expect the top two quarterbacks, Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, to be the top two picks.

If the Titans wind up second and don’t want the one who is there at No. 2, they will be in prime position to trade back.

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