Draft Pick Tier

[TeamBuilder]

Knowing the importance of how the CPU values draft picks can drastically change trades in your franchise. Based on team ratings it’s common sense that the Lions first round pick is going to hold a lot more value than the Patriots first round pick. But where exactly do all the other teams fall when it comes to how the CPU values their draft picks? Here is a complete list of all 32 NFL teams and where there draft picks rank in terms of value.

Draft Pick Tier (Default Rosters)
1- Detroit Lions
2- St. Louis Rams
3- Cincinnati Bengals
4- Cleveland Browns
5 -Kansas City Chiefs
6- Denver Broncos
7- Oakland Raiders
8- Jacksonville Jaguars
9- San Francisco 49ers
10- New Orleans Saints
11- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12- Houston Texans
13- Buffalo Bills
14- Seattle Seahawks
15- Miami Dolphins
16- Green Bay Packers
17- New York Jets
18- Washington Redskins
19- Chicago Bears
20- Minnesota Vikings
21- Atlanta Falcons
22- Baltimore Ravens
23- Carolina Panthers
24- Dallas Cowboys
25- Arizona Cardinals
26- Tennessee Titans
27- Indianapolis Colts
28- Philadelphia Eagles
29- San Diego Chargers
30- New York Giants
31- Pittsburgh Steelers
32- New England Patriots


The tier is pretty basic, assuming you are using default rosters it will always hold true in year 1 of your franchise before the pre-season begins. Once the CPU starts signing free agents and playing games, the tier can change. So if you want to use the tier to help with trades, I suggest you do so before simulating or playing any games.
How The Tier Works In Trades

If I had the Miami Dolphins in my franchise and wanted to trade my 1st round pick for the 1st round pick of a team lower in the tier plus additional picks, there can be a big difference in the extra picks I can acquire depending on where the other team ranks in the tier.

Example:
Miami’s 1st round pick can be traded for the Panthers’ 1st, 2nd, and 4th round picks. If you look at the tier Miami is ranked 15th and the Panthers are ranked 23rd. This means that the same trade will work for any team ranked 23rd through 32nd, but the best value you are going to get is the Panthers at 23.



The cutoff point between a return of draft picks of round 1,2,4 versus 1,3,4 is spot number 22, the Baltimore Ravens.

The same trade wouldn’t work if you tried it with the Ravens (who are ranked 22nd, one team higher than the Panthers in the tier). The best trade the Ravens would give you is a 1st, 3rd, and 4th. As you can see, one spot on the tier can make a huge difference… the difference in this example is between acquiring an additional 2nd round pick instead of a 3rd round pick for your franchise.
Trade Block

The same basic idea works for the trade block as well. If you put a player (let’s say Joey Porter) on the trade block and ask for a first round pick in exchange, you will most likely want to accept the trade from the highest team in the tier because it gives you the best value.


Have Fun!
- Andre

[bigjdotcom01]

I use this:

http://www.draftcountdown.com/features/Value-Chart.php

[TeamBuilder]

Quote: Originally Posted by bigjdotcom01

I use this: http://www.draftcountdown.com/features/Value-Chart.php

Sweet, you can just match the teams with the numbers.

[TeamBuilder]

Updated in article form.