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With just one week remaining in the 2014 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings currently sit in the same spot in the NFL Draft Derby that they occupied last season.
If the season were to end today, the Vikings would have the #8 overall pick in the selection process. Per our friends at Mocking the Draft, the current order stands as follows:
The teams that make the playoffs will pick between 21 and 32. The teams that lose in the wild card round will pick from 21-24, with the team with the worst record being at 21 and everyone else falling behind them. The teams that lose in the divisional round will select from 25-28. The teams that lose the Conference Championship games will pick at 29 and 30, with the Super Bowl loser being slotted at 31 and the Super Bowl winner picking at #32.
As it stands right now, the Vikings will pick somewhere between #7 and #14 this April. They can't jump into the top six, as none of those teams can win more than five games and the Vikings already have six. Along with that, everyone currently slotted at 15 or higher already has eight victories, and a win by Minnesota in Week 17 against the Chicago Bears will give them seven victories.
Right now, the Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons have the same strength of schedule, and the next tiebreaker is conference record. Minnesota currently has a worse conference record than Atlanta does (Atlanta is at 6-5 in the conference, while Minnesota is at 5-6), so the Vikings get the higher selection.
As it stands right now, only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans have a shot at the #1 overall pick.
So, that's where things stand going into the final week of the 2014 regular season, ladies and gentlemen. You can be assured that we will have all of the Minnesota Vikings draft coverage that you expect right here as the off-season wears on.