Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order After Week 18 Games

The Las Vegas Raiders secured the No. 1 pick before their regular-season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs even got underway.
The Las Vegas Raiders secured the No. 1 pick before their regular-season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs even got underway. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The 2025 NFL season is at its end, with the final week of action taking place on Sunday. Before they even took the field in their regular-season finale, the Raiders clinched the No. 1 pick as a result of the Giants’ 34–17 win against the Cowboys, their fourth victory of the season. It’s the first time since 2007, when they selected JaMarcus Russell out of LSU, that the franchise has the top pick in the draft.

It was a costly win for New York, who will now be picking at No. 5. Had the Giants lost, they’d have been locked into the No. 2 pick, and could potentially have even gotten the No. 1 pick considering Las Vegas defeated the Chiefs.

With the Giants falling down the draft board a bit, teams such as the Jets, Cardinals and Titans all slid up.

So, with many of the Week 18 slate of games concluded, let’s take a look at the updated 2026 NFL draft order.

Team

Record

Draft Position

Week 18 Result

Las Vegas Raiders

3–14

1

Win vs. Chiefs

New York Jets

3–14

2

Loss vs. Bills

Arizona Cardinals

3–14

3

Loss vs. Rams

Tennessee Titans

3–14

4

Loss vs. Jaguars

New York Giants

4–13

5

Win vs. Cowboys

Cleveland Browns

5–12

6

Win vs. Bengals

Washington Commanders

5–12

7

Win vs. Eagles

New Orleans Saints

6–11

8

Loss vs. Falcons

Kansas City Chiefs

6–11

9

Loss vs. Raiders

Cincinnati Bengals

6–11

10

Loss vs. Browns

Miami Dolphins

7–10

11

Los vs. Patriots

Dallas Cowboys

7–9–1

12

Loss vs. Giants

Atlanta Falcons (pick owned by Rams)

8–9

13

Win vs. Saints

Baltimore Ravens

8–9

14

Loss vs. Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

8–9

15

Win vs. Panthers

Indianapolis Colts (pick owned by Jets)

8–9

16

Loss vs. Texans

Detroit Lions

9–8

17

Win vs. Bears

Minnesota Vikings

9–8

18

Win vs. Packers

Carolina Panthers

8–9

19

Loss vs. Buccaneers

Green Bay Packers (pick owned by Cowboys)

9–7–1

20

Loss vs. Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers

10–7

21

Win vs. Ravens

Los Angeles Chargers

11–6

22

Loss vs. Broncos

Philadelphia Eagles

11–6

23

Loss vs. Commanders

Buffalo Bills

12–5

24

Win vs. Jets

Chicago Bears

11–6

25

Loss vs. Lions

San Francisco 49ers

12–5

26

Loss vs. Seahawks

Houston Texans

12–5

27

Win vs. Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars (pick owned by Browns)

13–4

28

Win vs. Titans

Los Angeles Rams

13–4

29

Win vs. Cardinals

New England Patriots

14–3

30

Win vs. Dolphins

Denver Broncos

14–3

31

Win vs. Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

14–3

32

Win vs. 49ers

The first 18 picks in the NFL draft are determined by team record, with strength of schedule the No. 1 tiebreaker. After the top 18, the results of the playoffs will determine where the remaining teams will pick in April.

The Browns, who had previously been in contention for the No. 1 pick, won their last two games of the campaign to improve to 5–12. As such, they’ve fallen back to the No. 6 pick in the draft. The Commanders slot in at No. 7 after stunning the Eagles in Week 18, though they could’ve picked sixth had they lost.

Meanwhile, a Dolphins loss saw the team fall to 7–10. They’re now outside the top 10, while Kansas City’s loss to the Raiders enabled the Chiefs to slide in at No. 9, ahead of the Bengals who moved into No. 10.


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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.