The 49ers inched closer to a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with their loss to the Dolphins in Week 16.
It might be hard to convince both players and coaches, but losing is actually beneficial for the San Francisco 49ers as they wrap up the final stretch of 2024.
The Niners' Week 16 road defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins certainly revealed a lot of problems with head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad, but the defeat actually aided the prospects for landing a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft this April.
And top-10 picks in each subsequent round where San Francisco possesses its own pick.
Both the 49ers and Dolphins boasted 6-8 records entering the game, but now, Miami has one more victory in the win column, meaning the 6-9 Niners are a little bit closer to getting that top-10 pick.
Let's take a look at the 2025 draft order with Week 16 (almost) in the books.
2025 NFL Draft order: 49ers on the cusp of a top-10 pick after Week 16
- New York Giants (2-13)
- New England Patriots (3-12)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12)
- Tennessee Titans (3-12)
- Cleveland Browns (3-12)
- Las Vegas Raiders (3-12)
- Carolina Panthers (4-11)
- New York Jets (4-11)
- Chicago Bears (4-11)
- New Orleans Saints (5-9)*
- San Francisco 49ers (6-9)
- Miami Dolphins (7-8)
- Indianapolis Colts (7-8)
- Cincinnati Bengals (7-8)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-8)
- Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
- Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
*Will play Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football
Pick Nos. 19-32 will be determined by results of NFL playoffs
Related story: 49ers' full list of picks in the 2025 NFL Draft and beyond
San Francisco swapped spots by losing to Miami, but it's important to note that head-to-head matchups don't matter in NFL Draft tiebreakers. Strength of schedule is the primary tiebreaker assigned to teams finishing with identical records.
However, the Dolphins having one more win than the 49ers bodes well for Shanahan and Co. this April.
49ers (temporarily) will be Saints fans to close out Week 16
There's one remaining team blocking the Niners from getting into the top 10, the Saints, who'll help wrap up Week 16 with a Monday Night Football showdown against the Green Bay Packers.
A NOLA win would result in an identical record with San Francisco but not a full swap in draft order, as the Saints have an easier strength of schedule to date than what the 49ers have played.
However, a New Orleans victory would make it that much easier for the Niners to sneak into the No. 10 overall pick, especially if Shanahan's squad loses to both the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals to close out the regular season.