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The San Francisco 49ers saw their final playoff hopes dashed on Sunday, losing to the Seattle Seahawks, and seeing the Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings. The team is officially playing out the string, and can either play the role of spoiler, or boost their own draft position. We don't really know what the future holds for the coaching staff, but there is a pretty good chance the team will be picking in the teens in the 2015 NFL Draft when late April rolls around.
Once again, our friends from Bucs Nation came back with the updated order for the 2015 NFL Draft. The 49ers climbed two spots this week, from No. 18 to No. 16. This does not reflect Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football quite yet. I'll update with SNF once the strength of schedule info is figured out. Neither game will impact the 49ers standing for this week. Monday Night Football features the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears, who are in the No. 9 and 10 positions right now.
The 49ers host the San Diego Chargers this Saturday, and then the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. A pair of losses drop the 49ers to 7-9. If the 49ers do lose out, I could see them ending up in the 12-14 range. However, they also showed some fight on Sunday, so they very well could win at least one of their remaining games. The Chargers will be playing for a wild card spot. If the Cardinals beat the Seahawks this Sunday, they will clinch the NFC West. Odds are good they will still have to win in Week 17 to secure home field throughout the playoffs (assuming a win over the Seahawks), but we'll see what next week brings.
On a related note, earlier this weekend I put together a poll of what people thought was the 49ers biggest draft need. This will change plenty between now and April, but here is where the poll stands. Wide receiver, quarterback and cornerback hold the top three spots.
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Here is the draft order:
| Pick | Team | Record | Strength of Schedule |
| 1 | TB | 2 - 12 | 104 - 114 - 3 |
| 2 | TEN | 2 - 12 | 109 - 112 - 1 |
| 3 | JAX | 2 - 12 | 113 - 108 - 1 |
| 4 | OAK | 2 - 12 | 131 - 93 |
| 5 | WAS | 3 - 11 | 109 - 111 |
| 6 | NYJ | 3 - 11 | 123 - 100 |
| 7 | ATL | 5 - 9 | 105 - 113 - 3 |
| 8 | NYG | 5 - 9 | 112 - 108 |
| 9 | NO | 5 - 8 | 105 - 114 - 3 |
| 10 | CHI | 5 - 8 | 114 - 107 - 1 |
| 11 | MIN | 6 - 8 | 105 - 115 - 1 |
| 12 | STL | 6 - 8 | 119 - 103 |
| 13 | HOU | 7 - 7 | 98 - 123 - 1 |
| 14 | CLE | 7 - 7 | 102 - 118 - 3 |
| 15 | MIA | 7 - 7 | 115 - 108 |
| 16 | SF | 7 - 7 | 119 - 101 |
| 17 | KC | 8 - 6 | 116 - 108 |
| 18 | SD | 8 - 6 | 116 - 108 |
| 19 | CLE via BUF | 8 - 6 | 116 - 107 |
| 20 | DAL | 9 - 4 | 99 - 121 |
| 21 | BAL | 9 - 5 | 103 - 117 - 3 |
| 22 | GB | 10 - 4 | 107 - 112 - 1 |
| 23 | PIT | 9 - 5 | 99 - 121 - 3 |
| 24 | SEA | 10 - 4 | 118 - 103 - 1 |
| 25 | CAR | 5 - 8 - 1 | 108 - 111 - 1 |
| 26 | CIN | 9 - 4 - 1 | 110 - 112 - 1 |
| 27 | PHI | 9 - 4 | 104 - 117 - 1 |
| 28 | IND | 10 - 4 | 104 - 117 - 1 |
| 29 | DET | 10 - 4 | 104 - 116 - 1 |
| 30 | DEN | 11 - 3 | 118 - 105 - 1 |
| 31 | NE | 11 - 3 | 115 - 107 - 1 |
| 32 | ARI | 11 - 3 | 116 - 106 |