Five things to watch when the Falcons conclude 2022 season with Tampa Bay matchup

Here’s the thing, y’all. We won’t know where the Falcons are picking in the 2023 NFL Draft until majority of the games on Sunday are done.

Right now, the Falcons are looking at a top-10 pick. If the season ended on Saturday morning, the Falcons would have the No. 7 overall pick. But it doesn’t, and there’s a lot that can happen between now and when the draft order is secure.

The Falcons can’t move any higher than the No. 6 overall pick, but they could fall a few spots according to 1) how they fair against the Bucs and 2) how a few other teams come out this weekend, too.

Here are a couple scenarios to consider, just looking at the teams that are around the Falcons in draft order at the current moment:

• If the Falcons lose to the Bucs and the Rams beat the Seahawks, Atlanta will take the No. 6 pick. If the Rams lose and the Falcons lose, the Falcons will stay at No. 7.
• If the Falcons win on Sunday and the Panthers or Raiders win, too, they could move to No. 8. If the Panthers and Raiders lose in that scenario the Falcons will move all the way back to No. 9.

So, along with Sunday’s home game against Tampa Bay, which other games should you be keeping tabs on? I am so glad you asked.

Right now, the Rams, Panthers, Raiders and Falcons are clustered together on the draft board. So, you should be planning to keep up with all of them on Sunday, plus the Raiders game on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the low down on those games:

Raiders vs. Chiefs | Saturday 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | ABC

Falcons vs. Buccaneers | Sunday 1:00 p.m. | FOX

Rams vs. Seahawks | Sunday 4:25 p.m. | FOX

Panthers vs. Saints | Sunday 1:00 p.m. | FOX

There are other variables at play here, too, but these are the main ones to consider considering how close these four teams are on the current draft board. As Greg Aumen reported earlier in the week, though, (prior to the cancelation of Monday night’s game between the Bills and Bengals), the Falcons should want the Commanders, Chargers and Bears to lose for optimal draft position, too.

So, essentially, the best advice could be to simply be patient until majority of Sunday’s matchups come to a conclusion.