2026 NFL Draft order in Week 16 and top prospects

Holiday shopping has changed a lot over the years.

In the past, people would actually go to stores in search of gifts – walking around the mall or scanning the shelves at whatever brick-and-mortar location they chose. At the end of the experience, you would leave with the gift in hand, possessing the item that would soon belong to someone else.

All of that changed in the name of convenience. Online shopping made it so that the delivery drivers became a modern Santa and the front door is the new chimney next to the tree.

The downside is that not every gift will arrive in time for the holiday events. Some things will take a little longer, well beyond the typical gift-giving day of the year.

Teams like the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans entered Week 16 in a tie for the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Others like the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals lurked in the background.

There is no No. 1 pick gift under the tree, at least yet. That will come in a couple of weeks, when the final order is unwrapped.

Until then, teams will keep dreaming – and looking out the window for that package to arrive.

Here’s a look at the updated 2026 NFL Draft order in Week 16.

2026 NFL Draft order

Here’s a look at the updated first-round order as Week 16 results come in, according to Tankathon, which calculates strength of schedule differently from the NFL:

1. New York Giants: 2-13 record; .531 strength of schedule
2. Las Vegas Raiders 2-13; .543 SOS
3. Cleveland Browns: 3-12, .492 SOS
4. New York Jets: 3-12, .539 SOS
5. Tennessee Titans: 3-12, .573 SOS
6. Arizona Cardinals: 3-12; .576 SOS
7. Washington Commanders: 4-11; .500 SOS
8. New Orleans Saints: 5-10; .498 SOS
9. Cincinnati Bengals: 5-10; .516 SOS
10. Miami Dolphins: 6-9; .490 SOS
11. Atlanta Falcons (pick belongs to Los Angeles Rams): 6-9; .502 SOS
12. Kansas City Chiefs: 6-9; .512 SOS
13. Dallas Cowboys: 6-8-1; .441 SOS
14. Baltimore Ravens: 7-8; .504 SOS
15. Minnesota Vikings: 7-8; .520 SOS
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-8, .529 SOS
17. Detroit Lions: 8-7; .492 SOS
18. Indianapolis Colts (pick belongs to Jets): 8-7; .537 SOS
19. Carolina Panthers: 8-7, .518 SOS
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-6; .504 SOS
21. Green Bay Packers (pick belongs to Cowboys): 9-5-1; .476 SOS
22. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-5; .473 SOS
23. Houston Texans: 10-5; .537 SOS
24. Buffalo Bills: 11-4, .463 SOS
25. Los Angeles Chargers: 11-4; .457 SOS
26. San Francisco 49ers: 11-4, .494 SOS
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (pick belongs to Browns): 11-4; .494 SOS
28. Los Angeles Rams: 11-4, .529 SOS
29. Chicago Bears: 11-4; .445 SOS
30. New England Patriots: 12-3; .380 SOS
31. Denver Broncos: 12-3; .431 SOS
32. Seattle Seahawks: 12-3; .502 SOS

2026 NFL mock draft

This is how USA TODAY Sports’ Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz projected the top five picks in his latest mock draft:

1. New York Jets (proposed trade w/NYG): QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
2. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Dante Moore, Oregon
3. Tennessee Titans: LB/DE Arvell Reese, Ohio State
4. Cleveland Browns: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
5. New York Giants (proposed trade w/NYJ): WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State