On Thursday morning, the Detroit Lions woke up owning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. They went to bed on Sunday night not even picking in the top three.
Week 9 was an eventful one in the NFL. The Lions beat the Packers, 15-9, to improve to 2-6 on the season. That win vaulted the Lions from having the worst record in the league to tied with three other teams for the third-worst record. Losses by the Houston Texans (now 1-7-1) and Carolina Panthers (2-7) land them in the top two draft slots.
Detroit is now tied with Las Vegas and Pittsburgh at 2-6. Detroit’s stronger strength of schedule means they get the last draft slot of the tiebreaker, meaning the Lions now hold the No. 5 overall pick. In the second round, it becomes the fourth pick of the round (No. 36).
The second Lions pick of the first round, the one acquired from the Rams in the Matthew Stafford trade, got better for Detroit too. Los Angeles lost in Tampa Bay to fall to 3-5. The Rams’ pick is now No. 12 overall; 10 days ago it was No. 20.
With as many as 13 teams ending Week 9 with either two or three victories (the 3-5 Saints play Monday night), the draft slots remain highly volatile.
