Don't mean to throw a wet towel on Carolina's season-ending win over Tampa Bay, but the reality is that meaningless victory cost the Panthers big time when it comes to the 2008 NFL draft.

   Had the Panthers lost, they would have drafted ninth overall. Instead, they will draft 13th.

   The win over Tampa Bay left the Panthers at 7-9 overall, along with six other teams. Of those seven teams, the Panthers finished third-highest in terms of strength of schedule. That means four other 7-9 teams will draft ahead of them in Round 1.

   I understand you don't ever want to send your team out to lose a game, and believe me, I'm not advocating that. But is it just bad luck that the Panthers always (except for 2001) seem to finish a terrible season strong and really hurt themselves in terms of getting a very good draft pick? The good news is the Panthers seem to do a pretty good of selecting in the first round.

   Anyway, here are the top 15 picks in the 2008 NFL draft:

1. Miami (1-15)

2. St. Louis (3-13)

3. TBD by coin flip -- Atlanta, Oakland or Kansas City (all 4-12)

4. TBD by coin flip -- Atlanta, Oakland or Kansas City (all 4-12)

5. TBD by coin flip -- Atlanta, Oakland or Kansas City (all 4-12)

6. NY Jets (4-12)

7. New England (from San Francisco, 5-11)

8. Baltimore (5-11)

9. Cincinnati (7-9)

10. New Orleans (7-9)

11. Buffalo (7-9)

12. Denver (7-9)

13. Carolina (7-9)

14. Chicago (7-9)

15. Detroit (7-9)