The 2026 NFL Draft is now less than four months away as the playoffs are set to kick off. Now that the NFL regular season has concluded, that means the first 18 picks of the NFL Draft are locked into place, with the remaining 14 slots in the first round being decided based on how the playoffs actually play out.

Now that the draft order is locked in for most NFL teams, it’s clear there are major opportunities for certain organizations to thrive throughout draft season, likely adding significant amounts of top-tier talent. It’s time to look at how this order currently sits, and which teams look primed to cash in on the hope that comes with NFL Draft season each year.

First 18 picks of the first round in the 2026 NFL Draft are locked in

1. Las Vegas Raiders
2. New York Jets
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. Tennessee Titans
5. New York Giants
6. Cleveland Browns
7. Washington Commanders
8. New Orleans Saints
9. Kansas City Chiefs
10. Cincinnati Bengals
11. Miami Dolphins
12. Dallas Cowboys
13. Los Angeles Rams (via the Atlanta Falcons)
14. Baltimore Ravens
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16. New York Jets (via the Indianapolis Colts)
17. Detroit Lions
18. Minnesota Vikings

As the final week of the NFL regular season was wrapping up, there were five teams with any remote shot at landing the first overall pick. Still, the Raiders locked it in, thanks to their inability to defeat a sad mixture of the QB3 and QB4 for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18 action.

Despite the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions both finishing the season at 9-8 overall, with one more win than the Carolina Panthers (8-9 record), the NFL’s insistence in sending bad division winners with losing records to the playoffs left these very good NFC North teams out.

Both the Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets look smart right now thanks to trades they made in the past year. The Rams get to compete in the playoffs while also holding an extra first-round pick from the Atlanta Falcons (from the trade-up for James Pearce Jr. amid last year’s NFL Draft). The Jets’ trade with the Indianapolis Colts (sending away Sauce Gardner) set them up with multiple non-playoff first-round picks, too.

Playoff team’s 2026 NFL Draft order will continue to shift

19. Carolina Panthers
20. Dallas Cowboys (via the Green Bay Packers)
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
22. Los Angeles Chargers
23. Philadelphia Eagles
24. Buffalo Bills
25. Chicago Bears
26. San Francisco 49ers
27. Houston Texans
28. Cleveland Browns (via the Jacksonville Jaguars)
29. Los Angeles Rams
30. New England Patriots
31. Denver Broncos
32. Seattle Seahawks

This entire tier of draft order is likely to change drastically based on how the playoffs play out, but the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns stand to benefit significantly from how their trade partners do in the postseason. The Cowboys could end up with two top-20 picks if the Packers lose immediately. The Browns could end up with two top 24 picks if the Jaguars lose right away, too.

Current 2026 NFL Draft order for Round 2

33. New York Jets
34. Arizona Cardinals
35. Tennessee Titans
36. Las Vegas Raiders
37. New York Giants
38. Houston Texans (via the Washington Commanders)
39. Cleveland Browns
40. Kansas City Chiefs
41. Cincinnati Bengals
42. New Orleans Saints
43. Miami Dolphins
44. New York Jets (via the Dallas Cowboys)
45. Baltimore Ravens
46. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
47. Indianapolis Colts
48. Atlanta Falcons
49. Minnesota Vikings
50. Detroit Lions
51. Carolina Panthers
52. Green Bay Packers
53. Pittsburgh Steelers
54. Philadelphia Eagles
55. Los Angeles Chargers
56. Buffalo Bills
57. Chicago Bears
58. Houston Texans
59. San Francisco 49ers
60. Jacksonville Jaguars
61. Los Angeles Rams
62. New England Patriots
63. Denver Broncos
64. Seattle Seahawks

The Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, and the New York Jets are sitting pretty right now with their early draft picks. The Texans made it into the playoffs, but thanks to a trade with the Commanders, they will still have two picks inside the first 38 selections, regardless of how their postseason goes.

The Browns might not have their second first-round pick finish where they want if the Jaguars go on a playoff run, but they still have three top-39 picks either way. The Jets have four top-44 picks themselves, thanks to multiple trades. That’s more than anyone else in the NFL.

Current 2026 NFL Draft order for Round 3

65. Arizona Cardinals
66. Tennessee Titans
67. Las Vegas Raiders
68. Philadelphia Eagles (via the New York Jets)
69. Houston Texans (via the New York Giants)
70. Cleveland Browns
71. Washington Commanders
72. Cincinnati Bengals
73. New Orleans Saints
74. Kansas City Chiefs
75. Miami Dolphins
76. Pittsburgh Steelers (via the Dallas Cowboys)
77. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
78. Indianapolis Colts
79. Atlanta Falcons
80. Baltimore Ravens
81. Jacksonville Jaguars (via the Detroit Lions)
82. Minnesota Vikings
83. Carolina Panthers
84. Green Bay Packers
85. Pittsburgh Steelers
86. Los Angeles Chargers
87. Miami Dolphins (via the Philadelphia Eagles)
88. Buffalo Bills
89. Chicago Bears
90. San Francisco 49ers
91. Miami Dolphins (via the Houston Texans)
92. Jacksonville Jaguars
93. Los Angeles Rams
94. New England Patriots
95. Denver Broncos
96. Seattle Seahawks

The third round is littered with traded picks. The Miami Dolphins have a ton riding on how the NFL playoffs end up since they currently own picks 87 and 91. If the Texans and Eagles exit early from the playoffs, the Dolphins could have five picks inside the first 90 overall selections.

The Steelers don’t have five top-90 picks, but if they lose early, they could have four top-85 selections as well, thanks to their trade for the Cowboys’ third-round pick. There is still plenty at stake with the playoffs, but the teams best situated to take advantage of this upcoming NFL Draft are definitely becoming clear.

We’ll be back with more NFL Draft coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

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