2026 Nfl Draft Order Raiders Secure No 1 Pick Jets Hold No 2 Pick

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Jan 8, 2026, 4:16 PM

2026 nfl draft order raiders secure no 1 pick jets hold no 2 pick

The Las Vegas Raiders didn't even have to take the field to clinch the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Thanks to the New York Giants' 34-17 victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Raiders locked in the top pick in the draft for the third time in franchise history. The last time the Raiders had the No. 1 pick, they selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell in 2007. If they're indeed in the market for a quarterback this time around, they're hoping for a better result.

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, a quarterback at Indiana, is the frontrunner to be the first pick in April's draft. Yahoo Sports draft analyst Nate Tice wrote on Mendoza's upside: Mendoza is an accurate thrower to all three levels who constantly goes to the right place with the ball. The offense uses plenty of RPOs, but Mendoza is an efficient operator in true dropback situations like on third down and in the red zone. He’s also a solid athlete and creator. Here's a look at the draft order for the first 18 selections (with help from Tankathon.com).

Following the New York Giants' upset win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18, the Raiders officially secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Raiders were able to secure the No. 1 overall pick despite defeating the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday because they had the tiebreaker over the three other three-win teams, holding the worst strength of schedule of the group. Following the Raiders, the New York Jets will have the No. 2 overall pick.

The Arizona Cardinals have the No. 3 pick. The Tennessee Titans and Giants round out the top five. In what would've been viewed as a major surprise in the preseason, the Washington Commanders, Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals will each hold a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft going into... The first 18 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft have now been determined. Here's a closer look at how the draft order looks ahead of the start of the playoffs.

[NFL Draft Declarations Tracker: The Latest College Stars Headed to the NFL] Will the Raiders add a potential franchise quarterback to their impressive collection of young offensive talent? Alex Slitz / Getty Images Despite snapping a 10-game losing streak by beating the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders secured the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The New York Giants’ 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys earlier in Week 18 locked up that top slot for Las Vegas (3-14), although the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans finished...

Per NFL rules, draft order is determined by record, with strength of schedule used as a tiebreaker; among teams with the same record, the team that faced the weakest schedule picks first. Using that same tiebreaker, the Jets clinched the No. 2 pick with their loss Sunday in Buffalo. The Cardinals and Titans will hold picks No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.

The Raiders had been the NFL’s lone two-win team entering Sunday, thanks in no small part to their blowout Week 17 loss to the New York Giants. By winning their final two games of the regular season, the Giants fell to the No. 5 pick. Cleveland, Washington, New Orleans, Kansas City and Cincinnati round out the top 10, in that order. The Raiders have previously held the No. 1 pick just once since the NFL-AFL merger: In 2007, they selected QB JaMarcus Russell out of LSU.

The organization also held the top pick in the 1962 AFL draft, which it used on NC State quarterback Roman Gabriel, who instead signed with the Los Angeles Rams after getting selected No. 2 in the 1962 NFL Draft. The Raiders locked up the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Sunday. The Giants were the only other team still in the running for the top selection entering Week 18, but their victory over the Cowboys on Sunday eliminated them from contention. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs later on Sunday, moving to 3-14, but Vegas wins the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker for the first pick since its SOS is lower than that of the three other 3-14 teams... The Jets secured the second pick after losing to the Bills on Sunday.

Rounding out the rest of the top 10 in the draft order, the Cardinals pick third, the Titans fourth, the Giants fifth, the Browns sixth, the Commanders seventh, the Saints eighth, the Chiefs ninth... The Raiders hold the top selection for the first time since 2007. Things started off positively for the Silver and Black at the dawn of the Pete Carroll era, with the Raiders beating the Patriots in New England to open the season. The bottom dropped out immediately after that victory, though, with Vegas losing 14 of its next 15 games, including 10 in a row entering Sunday's contest. On Monday, team owner Mark Davis announced that the organization was parting ways with Carroll, stating that GM John Spytek will lead football operations in close collaboration with minority owner Tom Brady. Reuniting Carroll with Geno Smith was largely a disaster.

Smith led the league in interceptions with 17 and the offense's struggles led to the firing of coordinator Chip Kelly after a 24-10 loss to the Browns in Week 12. QB coach Greg Olson was installed as the interim OC, but the results didn't improve, with the low-wattage unit averaging a measly 12.7 points per game since the change. The Las Vegas Raiders didn't even have to take the field to clinch the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Thanks to the New York Giants' 34-17 victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Raiders locked in the top pick in the draft for the third time in franchise history. The last time the Raiders had the No.

1 pick, they selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell in 2007. If they're indeed in the market for a quarterback this time around, they're hoping for a better result. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, a quarterback at Indiana, is the frontrunner to be the first pick in April's draft. Yahoo Sports draft analyst Nate Tice wrote on Mendoza's upside: Mendoza is an accurate thrower to all three levels who constantly goes to the right place with the ball. The offense uses plenty of RPOs, but Mendoza is an efficient operator in true dropback situations like on third down and in the red zone. He’s also a solid athlete and creator.

Here's a look at the draft order for the first 18 selections (with help from Tankathon.com). Week 18 outcomes locked the 2026 NFL Draft Top 10, with Las Vegas first and the Jets moving up to No. 2 thanks to the Giants' win over the Cowboys. With nearly the entire 2025 NFL regular season in the books, the Top 10 in the 2026 NFL Draft is set. The Las Vegas Raiders clinched the top pick Sunday when the New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18, even though the Raiders beat the Chiefs. The New York Jets moved up from No.

3 to No. Week 18 outcomes locked the 2026 NFL Draft Top 10, with Las Vegas first and the Jets moving up to No. 2 thanks to the Giants' win over the Cowboys. With nearly the entire 2025 NFL regular season in the books, the Top 10 in the 2026 NFL Draft is set. The Las Vegas Raiders clinched the top pick Sunday when the New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18, even though the Raiders beat the Chiefs. The New York Jets moved up from No.

3 to No. 2 thanks to their loss to the Buffalo Bills coupled with the Giants' win. The only other time the Raiders had the No. 1 pick in the draft, they selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell in 2007. They're hoping they don't repeat history with that disastrous selection. The same is true for the Jets, who took quarterback Zach Wilson with the No.

2 pick in 2021, the only other time the team held the No. 2 pick in the past 35 years. The Las Vegas Raiders secured the No. 1 pick and the Jets jumped to No. 2 as the Top 10 in the 2026 NFL Draft is set after Week 18 results. The Arizona Cardinals lost to the Los Angeles Rams and moved up from No.

5 entering Week 18 to No. 3. Arizona benefited from the Giants' loss plus a change in the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker that jumped the Cardinals ahead of the Tennessee Titans. The Raiders locked up the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Sunday. The Giants were the only other team still in the running for the top selection entering Week 18, but their victory over the Cowboys on Sunday eliminated them from contention. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs later on Sunday, moving to 3-14, but Vegas wins the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker for the first pick since its SOS is lower than that of the three other 3-14 teams...

The Jets secured the second pick after losing to the Bills on Sunday. Rounding out the rest of the top 10 in the draft order, the Cardinals pick third, the Titans fourth, the Giants fifth, the Browns sixth, the Commanders seventh, the Saints eighth, the Chiefs ninth... The Raiders hold the top selection for the first time since 2007. Things started off positively for the Silver and Black at the dawn of the Pete Carroll era, with the Raiders beating the Patriots in New England to open the season. The bottom dropped out immediately after that victory, though, with Vegas losing 14 of its next 15 games, including 10 in a row entering Sunday's contest. On Monday, team owner Mark Davis announced that the organization was parting ways with Carroll, stating that GM John Spytek will lead football operations in close collaboration with minority owner Tom Brady.

2026 Nfl Draft Order Raiders Secure No 1 Pick Jets Hold No 2 Pick

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