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.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
- Albert Breer’s 2025 NFL Playoffs Preview, and Why Each Team Can Win the Super Bowl
- Albert Breer Goes Inside Aaron Rodgers’s Wild Ride Back to the NFL Playoffs
- Why Ravens Fans Would Miss John Harbaugh if He’s Gone
- 2026 NFL Schedule: Way-Too-Early Record Predictions For All 32 Teams
- What Went Wrong With the Falcons and Raheem Morris, and Six Candidates to Replace Him
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order After Week 18 Games.
