Cleveland Browns vs Tennessee Titans has massive NFL Draft implications

Sunday will be a very consequential game for next year's draft.

Apr 25, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Hall of Fame former Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas pumps his fist as he walks on stage to announce the Browns’ second round pick during the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Tork Mason/USA Today Network via Imagn Images | Tork Mason-Imagn Images

As we know, the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans have not had the best seasons this year. With the Browns sitting at 3-9, and the Titans at 1-11, both of these teams would have top-five picks in next year’s draft if the season ended today.

The Titans are the best of the worst, as they have the best odds to land the number one overall pick at 50.7%, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders at 19.0%, the New Orleans Saints at 16.3%, and then Cleveland at 7.4%.

The Browns and Titans are both basically locks to be in the top ten of next year’s draft, with Tennessee at a 99.9% chance and Cleveland at a 98.7% chance. 

Tennessee rolls into Cleveland on Sunday, being one of the five teams in the league that are already eliminated from the playoffs. They have fired their head coach, Brian Callahan, after just six weeks and winning one game, and have a lot to lose for.

If Cleveland wins on Sunday, it would boost Tennessee’s chances to get the number one pick up to 66%, while a win for Tennessee would drop it to 29%.

If Cleveland were to lose, their chances at the top pick would go up to 14%; if the Browns won, their chances would drop to less than 1%, all stats via ESPN Analytics. 

So Sunday means a very important game for both teams, it puts many Cleveland fans in a difficult position, do you cheer for possible meaningless wins in a lost season? You are never going to want your team to lose any game if you are a passionate fan of that team.

Titans fans may be indifferent, though, as they have the worst record in the NFL and are eliminated from the playoffs. This is the time for last year’s number one pick, Cam Ward, to gain some confidence down the stretch, as he struggled in their last game vs Jacksonville. Ward also has a touchdown-to-interception split of 7/6 currently, and the lowest passer rating in the league among qualified starters at 75.2.

If you are Cleveland, you also want to see more development out of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in his third start of the year.

It will be an interesting game to watch as neither of these teams will benefit much from winning this game in a playoff sense, but more as a confidence boost. You will never see an NFL team obviously trying to lose a game, but don’t be surprised if there are some weird plays in this game.