On Friday, the last four teams will finally know their official placement in the 2012 NFL Draft. The NFL will hold tiebreaker coin flips between the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins, as well as between the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.
The Chiefs and Seahawks both finished the 2011 season with 7-9 records, while both teams' opponents held 131-125 records, necessitating the coin flip. The winner of the toss will receive the No. 11 pick in the draft, while the loser will select at No. 12 in the first round. It may not seem like too large a difference, but it will absolutely make an impact.
Peter King of Sports Illustrated runs down some of the potential implications and exactly what this could mean for the two teams.
The difference in one spot on the draft trade value chart -- the chart most teams use to divine value when making draft-day trades -- between picks that high is 50 points. That's roughly the equivalent of a mid- to low-fourth-round pick on the chart. And with this draft expected to have lots of very close valuations between post-Luck and -RGIII players at the top, the winner of each flip could lead to a valuable chip when the first round goes off April 26. Example: Let's say Kansas City and Seattle both want Iowa tackle Riley Reiff at No. 11. Seattle wins the flip. And let's say there are other suitors for Reiff. Seattle could move down one spot, with the Chiefs, for a third- or fourth-round pick, or seven spots, with tackle-needy San Diego, for something significantly better. Just something to keep your eye on in the two months before the draft.
It is safe to say that the Chiefs are definitely going to be hoping they'll win the toss. We shall have to wait and see whether things go their way on Friday.
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