Browns' Rooting Guide for 2025 NFL Draft Implications of Week 10
The Cleveland Browns can gain some serious ground in the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft during their Week 10 bye.
Cleveland comes into the weekend with the No. 5 pick in the projected order and it is part of a seven-team collective at 2-7.
At least one of the 2-7 teams will win on Sunday since the Carolina Panthers face the New York Giants in Germany. Carolina is currently fourth in the draft order, while the Giants are seventh.
The New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints occupy the first three draft slots right now, and while all of them have struggled in 2024, there is a path to victory for at least two of those franchises in Week 10.
Panthers over Giants
The Browns will benefit from the Panthers-Giants game regardless of who wins.
But the preference from Cleveland should be for a Carolina victory since the Panthers have been far less competitive in 2024 than the Giants.
Carolina comes out of its Week 11 bye with four straight games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. There's a high chance the Panthers go 0-4 in that stretch.
The Browns and any other team in contention for the No. 1 pick would love to see the Panthers win on Sunday so that the NFC South side at least has three wins going into Week 16.
Three wins might be the ceiling for the Panthers, and if that is the case, a win over the Giants might have a huge impact on the draft order depending on how other teams struggle.
Patriots over Bears
Drake Maye and the Patriots displayed the most promise of any of the 2-7 teams in Week 9.
New England almost came away with a road victory in Tennessee, so there is an expectation for it to contend in every game moving forward.
A road trip to Chicago isn't the easiest matchup for a rookie quarterback, but if you are the Browns, you'd much rather root for Maye to develop than for the stagnant Jacksonville Jaguars to beat the Minnesota Vikings.
New England likely has a few more wins on its schedule if it continues to improve under Maye, and that is a great sign for the Browns if a top-three pick is what they are aiming for.
Saints over Falcons
The New Orleans Saints host the Atlanta Falcons in a game that's needed to reverse the poor morale around the franchise.
The Saints are on a seven-game losing streak and just fell to the Panthers in Week 9.
However, there is reason to believe that a healthier Derek Carr can lead the Saints to a home win over a divisional rival.
After all, the Saints only lost by two to the Falcons back in Week 4, and they've eclipsed the 20-point mark on three occasions during their losing run.
A New Orleans win would actually be perfect for Browns fans rooting for a top-three draft pick.
The Saints could gain some momentum with a Week 10 win and then beat the Browns in Week 11 to officially clear themselves out of the race for the No. 1 pick.