There were quite a few things decided this weekend in the National Football League.  For one, the San Francisco 49ers were officially removed from playoff contention.  In more important news, the race to the bottom to claim the top pick of the NFL draft has been decided.  After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 27-3 on Thursday, the Carolina Panthers have earned the top pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Granted, it’s a dubious honor; the top pick in the NFL draft is awarded to the worst team in the NFL, and the Panthers have earned that in spades.  Last season, the Panthers did not have a first-round draft pick; instead, the Panthers picked Notre Dame signal caller Jimmy Clausen in the second round.  Now, the Panthers have their pick of the future draftees, including their reported top pick, Stanford Cardinal QB Andrew Luck (whose 11-1 Stanford team will be taking on 11-2 Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl).

There were three teams in contention for the first pick of the draft until this weekend.  Of the three teams, the Bengals and Broncos won to raise their team records to 4-11; only the Panthers lost, dropping to 2-13.  Even if the Panthers win and the Bengals and Broncos lose next weekend, no NFL team can lose enough to catch up to the Panthers.  It remains to be seen if John Fox will be making this next draft pick for the Panthers.

Image:  Carolina Panthers

Tags: Carolina Panthers, Panthers, NFL, National Football League, Carolina Panthers get the first pick in the 2011 NFL draft, NFL Draft, Jimmy Clausen, Panthers get top pick in the draft, NFL Draft top pick decided, Carolina Panthers get first pick of the NFL Draft, Andrew Luck, John Fox

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