The first 20 picks of the 2012 NFL Draft are just about set, but we'll have to wait a while for a final order. We do know the Indianapolis Colts will pick first in the draft, by virtue of a 2-14 record and tiebreaker over the St. Louis Rams. The Minnesota Vikings will pick third, followed by the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The draft order was solidified, somewhat, on Sunday night, following the Dallas Cowboys' loss to the New York Giants. With the win, New York took the NFC East crown, while Dallas took the better draft position. Dallas will own the No. 14 pick and the Giants will be slotted into the draft order whenever they fall out of the playoffs.
The caveat here is the No. 8 and No. 9 picks, as well as the No. 11 and No. 12 picks. The Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs finished with the same record, and exhausted every tiebreaker for the 11th pick. As a result, those two teams will be involved in a coin flip, likely at the NFL Combine, to determine the order of picks. The same holds true for the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins, who will flip for the No. 8 and No. 9 picks.
1. Indianapolis Colts, 2-14
2. St. Louis Rams, 2-14
3. Minnesota Vikings, 3-13
4. Cleveland Browns, 4-12
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-12
6. Washington Redskins, 5-11
7. Jacksonville Jaguars, 5-11
8. Carolina Panthers, 6-10*
9. Miami Dolphins, 6-10*
10. Buffalo Bills, 6-10
T-11. Seattle Seahawks, 7-9*
T-11. Kansas City Chiefs, 7-9*
13. Arizona Cardinals, 8-8
14. Dallas Cowboys, 8-8
15. Philadelphia Eagles, 8-8
16. New York Jets, 8-8
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders, 8-8)
18. San Diego Chargers, 8-8
19. Chicago Bears, 8-8
20. Tennessee Titans, 9-7
*Coin flip will be used at a later date
Picks 21 through 32 will be determined by playoff exit, with the first four teams out during Wild Card weekend slotting into No. 21 through No. 24, based on overall record. The trend continues on down the line to the Super Bowl, with the winner taking the final pick, No. 32, and the loser taking the 31st pick.