After three consecutive seasons of picking in the top five of the NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs and their playoff run have earned them the 21st pick in the 2011 NFL draft. It's the highest draft pick out of any of the 12 playoff teams.
In the rest of the AFC West, the Denver Broncos will be picking No. 2 overall. The Raiders do not have a first round pick because they traded it away to the New England Patriots for Richard Seymour. The San Diego Chargers will pick No. 18 overall.
Beyond the No. 24 pick and New Orleans, the 2011 NFL draft order can and will get shaken up based on who wins and loses in the rest of the playoffs. Currently, only the 1-24 picks are 100% solidified.
Here is how the NFL draft order is determined:
- Any expansion team automatically gets the first pick; if there are two expansion teams, a coin toss determines who picks first; the other team will pick second in the expansion draft.
- The winners of the Super Bowl are given the last selection, and the losers the penultimate selection.
- Teams that made the playoffs are then ordered by which round of the playoffs they are eliminated.
- Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record.
- Remaining ties are broken by strength of schedule.
Here is the full, current NFL draft order:
1. Carolina (2-14)
2. Denver (4-12)
3. Buffalo (4-12)
4. Cincinnati (4-12)
5. Arizona (5-11)
6. Cleveland (5-11)
7. San Francisco (6-10)
8. Tennessee (6-10)
9. Dallas (6-10)
10. Washington (6-10)
11. Houston (6-10)
12. Minnesota (6-10)
13. Detroit (6-10)
14. St. Louis (7-9)
15. Miami (7-9)
16. Jacksonville (8-8)
17. New England (via Oakland who was 8-8)
18. San Diego (9-7)
19. New York Giants (10-6)
20. Tampa Bay (10-6)
21. Kansas City (10-6)
22. Indianapolis (10-6)
23. Philadelphia (10-6)
24. New Orleans (11-5)
25. Seattle (7-9)
26. Green Bay (10-6)
27. New York Jets (11-5)
28. Baltimore (11-5)
29. Chicago (11-5)
30. Pittsburgh (12-4)
31. Atlanta (13-3)
32. New England (14-2)