Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record with any remaining ties broken by strength of schedule.
Playoff participants are sequenced after non-playoff teams, based on their round of elimination (wild card, division, conference, and Super Bowl).
[3] Before the merger agreements in 1966, the American Football League (AFL) operated in direct competition with the NFL and held a separate draft.
This led to a massive bidding war over top prospects between the two leagues.
As part of the merger agreement on June 8, 1966, the two leagues would hold a multiple round "common draft".