CHARLOTTE — With the disappointment of falling out of playoff contention, Panthers fans will inevitably start looking ahead to the offseason and the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City.

And even though they have a game left to play at New Orleans Sunday, that one's not likely to change their draft position dramatically either way.

Under the current standings, the Panthers (6-10) would pick ninth overall next year, and because of the way the NFL breaks ties for draft order, that's unlikely to change much in the next week.

The league uses strength of schedule to break ties (low to high), and since the Panthers currently have an opponent record of 121-133-1 (.476), they're still going to be on the low end of the seven-win teams if they beat the Saints this weekend.

The top five spots will be occupied, in some order, by the Texans (2-13-1), Bears (3-13), Broncos (4-12, and they owe that pick to the Seahawks), Cardinals (4-12), and Colts (4-11-1).

The Rams, at 5-11, are currently in the sixth spot (that pick is owned by the Lions now).

Spots seven through nine are currently held by the Raiders, Falcons, and Panthers, and the Raiders and Falcons each have lower strength of schedule numbers than the Panthers.

But because the Panthers' .476 strength of schedule is significantly lower than any of the teams that currently have seven wins — the Titans, Saints (who traded that pick to the Eagles), the Browns (who traded that pick to the Texans), Jets, and Steelers — they'd be at the top of that group in draft order with a win against the Saints Sunday.

That won't impact the way they prepare for Sunday's game against the Saints (7-9), but the result won't likely impact the draft order much in either direction.

The Panthers currently have seven picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. You can see the full list here. Their 2024 picks are listed here.