2026 Nfl Draft Five Team Race For No 1 Pick Top Prospects Espn

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 15, 2025, 4:22 AM

2026 nfl draft five team race for no 1 pick top prospects espn

This is a look at the first-round order for the 2026 NFL Draft heading into Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season, along with the top five needs for each team. The order is determined by record, using strength of schedule as the first tiebreaker (click here to see a full list of the draft-order tiebreakers). Keep in mind -- teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today are marked as PL (short for playoffs) in the order below. The draft order for playoff teams is determined by the results of postseason play. If Tennessee decides to stick and pick at No. 1, adding a premier edge rusher would make sense -- especially after trading edge rusher Dre'Mont Jones to the Ravens at the deadline.

Malik Nabers ' absence has exposed the Giants' lack of depth at receiver, which must be addressed during the first two days of the draft. Tyler Shough took a step forward against the Panthers on Sunday, but still has work to do over the next eight weeks to dissuade the Saints from using their top pick on a new... Whether he keeps the job in 2026 or New Orleans looks elsewhere to fill the role, the team could use more talent at receiver. The Browns' needs on the offensive line were further highlighted on Sunday, with the Jets getting to QB Dillon Gabriel six times in their 27-20 win. Most NFL teams still have a path to the playoffs entering Week 11. Some, though, may already be thinking about 2026.

The race for next year’s No. 1 pick is on, with several struggling teams in 2025 tracking toward a top-10 selection. With much of the second half of the season still to play, the top three teams in the hunt for the No. 1 pick are the Tennessee Titans (1-8), New York Giants (2-8) and New Orleans Saints (2-8). While the Saints have a bye in Week 11, both the Titans (vs. the Houston Texans) and Giants (vs.

the Green Bay Packers) face tough matchups. The Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders are also firmly tracking for top-10 picks. Several teams also owe their 2026 first-rounder to another franchise: The Los Angeles Rams own the Atlanta Falcons’ pick, the Browns own the Jacksonville Jaguars’ pick, the Packers will send their first-rounder to the... How is the 2026 NFL Draft order shaping up? Here’s an updated look entering Week 11. It may not be the quarterback class we'd hoped for, but it still looks like a step up from last year.

After that, though, there aren't a ton of position groups I'd call "loaded" relative to recent expectations. It's part of why we've already seen so many teams feel comfortable unloading their first-rounders. That doesn't mean there isn't talent to be had, however. It simply means scouts are going to have to work overtime to parse through a less clear-cut draft order than we've seen in recent years. If you're looking for position groups with quality depth -- even if they aren't traditionally drafted highly -- interior offensive line and linebacker are where I'd start. There are 13 interior offensive linemen and nine linebackers represented in the top 100 below, both large numbers compared to the typical yearly crop that goes in the top three rounds.

With that context in mind, let's dive into how the class stacks up in early November. Bain is putting together the best season for a defensive end at the collegiate level since Aidan Hutchinson. Like Hutchinson, Bain isn't a cookie-cutter edge prospect. The Hurricanes defender has a defensive tackle build with shorter arms than ideal on the edge. It's no matter -- he already has 44 pressures this season. Woods has been on scouting radars since he was a true freshman.

He's as powerful a true junior defensive tackle as you'll see and won't turn 21 until a month before the draft. He'll be even more disruptive in the pros than he is in Clemson's defense. The Jets' win over the Browns on Sunday had big implications on the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Robert Deutsch / Imagn Images The Athletic has live coverage of Jets vs Patriots in NFL ‘Thursday Night Football.’

The New York Jets versus the Cleveland Browns. Talk about a stinker, right? While last weekend’s matchup certainly wasn’t the highlight of Week 10, it might have been the most important game of the week — at least in one regard. That game between two NFL bottom-feeders went a long way in determining who would win the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Funny enough, the team that benefited the most wasn’t even involved.

It was the Tennessee Titans, who were on bye last week. The Jets’ win over the Browns pushed Tennessee’s odds of securing the top pick up from 25 percent to 35 percent. Meanwhile, the Jets’ reward for winning their second game of the season was seeing their odds of securing the top pick drop from 39 percent to 26 percent. Of course, there’s still plenty of time for the draft order to get shaken up. Heading into this Week 11, 12 teams have three wins or fewer, with nine of them still having at least a one percent chance at picking first in April. As the season winds down, each week will have huge ramifications on draft position, and some games, like the Browns against the Jets, are much more important than you might think.

Five NFL teams have at least 5% odds to land the No. 1 pick in 2026, per our Football Power Index -- the Titans, Browns, Jets, Saints and Raiders. projections. So we called on our NFL reporters and analysts to size up each of those bottom-tier franchises after midseason. Seth Walder used FPI to make sense of each of the five teams' schedules the rest of the way. Dan Graziano answered how the No.

1 pick could impact each team's current QB room. Our NFL Nation reporters looked at the biggest positional needs that could be addressed in the first round in April. Matt Miller spun it forward and suggested one prospect each front office could consider if it landed that top selection. And finally, Ben Solak rated each team's "excitement factor" on a 1-10 scale if they picked No. 1 overall.It will get easier, though I suppose that might not be a good thing for Tennessee now. After having played the hardest schedule in the NFL to this point, the Titans have the 18th-hardest slate remaining, per the FPI.

The Titans aren't favored in any games, but there are two contests very close to a coin flip: at the Browns inHelp! Having the No. 1 pick and not needing a quarterback is a fantastic position for a team to be in. The Titans could either use the pick on the best non-quarterback in the draft, which would improve the team around Ward for the future, or they could trade it for a haul of picks... Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson deserves credit for how he has manufactured a pass rush with so few true impact players. Still, Tennessee's 22 sacks this season rank 22nd in the league.

Outside of, there is no defensive player who poses a significant threat to opposing offenses. The Titans don't have a single player on the roster who has logged a double-digit sack season. Adding a game changer to come off the edge and make big plays when it matters the most would help the defense immensely. The last edge rusher drafted by Tennessee in the first round was Derrick Morgan, who was selected 16th in 2010.. might not solve the team's issues on offense, but he does bring a three-down ability as a true edge defender who can rush the passer and stop the run. Tennessee has to find someone who threatens opposing offenses.

Bain's ability to win with powerful hands and closing speed would fit in any scheme that the Titans' new head coach and defensive coordinator want to run. In a draft that is light on elite offensive skill players, Bain is where value meets need.How would you rate the excitement factor of Tennessee landing the top pick on a scale of 1-10? A sneaky 6. While the Titans would certainly not take a quarterback, I think the top of this QB class is strong enough that we could see a substantial trade up for the No. 1 pick, especially if the Browns or Jets are at No. 2.

A trade up to the top pick is entertainment in the moment, as rumors swirl and hypothetical packages are considered, and entertainment for years to come, as the trade is eternally reexamined., which could... FPI makes the Browns at least a 7-point underdog in all of their other remaining contests, however. The Browns do play five of their final eight games at home, so their slate is a shade easier than it seems just looking at their opponents. Probably the end of the road in terms of their chances to be the Browns' long-term starter. Unless one of those guys makes it clear over the second half of this season that he can be the franchise QB, the Browns would almost certainly use the No. 1 pick on a QB they believe could be just that.

Maybe one of them would stick around as a backup? Or start while the rookie gets up to speed? But that would be about it.Quarterback. The Browns have already cycled through two quarterbacks and appear likely to go to a third in Sanders at some point. The infrastructure around the quarterbacks hasn't been solid, but Cleveland hasn't gotten enough production at the position to dissuade the franchise from targeting a passer in the first round. Browns QBs have registered a 29.1 Total QBR this season, which ranks only above the Titans.has emerged as the top senior quarterback thanks to his accuracy, timing and poise in the pocket.

He isn't a true dual threat, but hehas picked up five scores on the ground and keeps defenses on their toes with his mobility. At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, he has the frame and arm talent to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball downfield. His 26-to-5 ratio in touchdowns to interceptions also shows a quarterback willing to take chances while limiting turnovers. Alabama'sare options to keep an eye on, but both are first-year starters in an era where NFL scouts like to see at least 25 starts from incoming prospects. That leaves Mendoza as the clear-cut option.How would you rate the excitement factor of Cleveland landing the top pick on a scale of 1-10? Tell me again why I should be excited about another Browns pick for a quarterback?

2026 Nfl Draft Five Team Race For No 1 Pick Top Prospects Espn

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