5 NFL teams that should tank in Week 17
By Phil Naegely
A handful of teams should consider staying on the bus in Week 17.
The 2015 NFL regular season has one week of games remaining, with many teams’ fan bases wanting their clubs to lose in order to get a better first round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
While some first-round byes, home field advantage, and wild cards spots are still up for grabs, the majority of the attention during the final week of the 2015 NFL regular season will be focused on the non-playoff teams. Simply put, the league has been one of parity this year, and a loss in week 17 could propel a team’s first round draft pick up or down five to 10 spots depending on if they win or lose.
It’s important to remember that the 2016 NFL Draft will only feature 31 picks in the first round. This is part of the New England Patriots’ team punishment for Deflategate as ownership tried to take a plea deal from the league in order to get Tom Brady a lesser punishment, which ended up initially not working.
The 2016 edition of the draft will be filled with players that can make an instant impact on their first NFL team. Every NFL team has weaknesses and holes they want to plug up, but having a pick in the top-10 compared to the top-20 could make a difference within a league that was filled with mediocrity and parity in 2015 than any most recent season.
Check out five teams who should tank in Week 17 in order to get a higher pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Next: Tennessee Titans