2023 NFL Draft Order: Seahawks pick acquired from Broncos currently sits at 2nd overall

While the Seattle Seahawks took a heavy hit to their playoff hopes in Week 14, it sure improved their draft stock!

Seattle is currently out of a wild card spot with four games to go, which puts them in the mid-range at 17th in the 2023 NFL Draft order with their own pick. Of course, a lot of our season has been fixated on the fate of the Denver Broncos, who gave up next year’s first- and second-round picks as part of the Russell Wilson trade. Denver sits at 3-10 and are already mathematically eliminated from postseason consideration.

Due to the current strength of schedule tiebreaker, which gives the team with a worse SOS the higher draft priority, the Broncos pick acquired by the Seahawks sits at 2nd overall. Only the Houston Texans are ahead in the pecking order and at this point we might have to accept that they will not budge from number one. Denver will have some stiff competition with the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions (via the Los Angeles Rams), Indianapolis Colts, and Philadelphia Eagles (via the New Orleans Saints) all in real contention to get 2nd overall.

Denver’s remaining schedule consists of a home game against the Cardinals, a Christmas Day game at the Rams, a road trip at the Kansas City Chiefs, and a home finale against the LA Chargers.

It is impossible for the Denver Broncos to have a better record than the Seattle Seahawks, and the only way they can be equal is if Denver wins out and Seattle loses out. In other words, we are almost assured of a Denver top-10 pick but the Seahawks’ current form could really take their own pick a lot closer to the top-10 given their remaining schedule.

Whether the Seahawks make the playoffs, collapse to 7-10, or finish just outside a playoff berth, Denver’s downfall means Seattle has great draft positioning come next year.