2026 Draft order- how playoff results are shaping the first round
Football fans around the world are waiting in anticipation for the finalization of the NFL Draft order, in which the NFL teams select their new players. The date to diarize this year is February 8.
There are two sides to the Draft:
- Prospective players are college football athletes who have been out of high school for at least three years and have either completed their college careers or declared for the NFL Draft before being recruited by NFL teams.
- Each NFL team gets a chance to select a player of their choice according to a roster that is predetermined by their performance in the previous season.
There are 32 NFL teams on the Draft list, with almost 300 new players each year. Selection consists of seven rounds, taking place over three days.
It sounds simple – however, according to the rules of the Draft, the least successful teams get first choice, and the season’s Super Bowl winner is placed last on the roster.
This year’s final Super Bowl showdown between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks on February 8 will finalize the last places on the Draft. The order is by no means cast in stone though. Between now and the first Draft selection round on April 23, a lot can change.
How the playoffs affect the order
Positions one and two in the Draft order go to the two teams with the worst record this year, with the Las Vegas Raiders in the first slot and the New York Jets in the second. Although both teams tied, the Jets ranked higher due to their strength of schedule, which is determined by the cumulative 2025 records of their opponents.
Positions three to 18 are made up of the remaining 16 non-playoff teams, in reverse order of merit.
Positions 19 to 24 consist of wild-card round losers such as the Carolina Panthers, pick-traded teams such as the Green Bay Packers, and others based on their regular-season records and strength of schedule.
Positions 25 to 28 are composed of teams placed by divisional exits: the San Francisco 49ers, the Chicago Bears, the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans.
Positions 29 and 30 are taken up by Conference championship defeats, the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Broncos.
Positions 31 and 32 are still to be determined by Super Bowl LX on February 8.
Why place the worst team first?
The reverse order gives the teams who are struggling an opportunity to enlist the best new players and a chance to redeem themselves in the future.
To put it into perspective, the Las Vegas Raiders have come out of the 2025/26 season the worse for wear, with multiple coach changes and quarterback woes. Their number one slot in the Draft order places them in an ideal situation for acquiring a new quarterback, which should not only give them a quick boost but also sustain the team well into the future.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is currently a top contender and a possible candidate for the Raiders. Time will tell.
The New York Jets, second on the list, are also in need of a quarterback, or two, and the Arizona Cardinals, in third position, may also be looking to secure one.
How trades affect the Draft order
There’s more to the Draft than just a static roster. Teams are allowed to trade their players for alternate places on the Draft list, which means that the tournament landscape is constantly changing, igniting passionate discourse among players and fans across the US and beyond.
The teams’ Draft picks are also a trading asset. Teams are allowed to trade their picks as many times as they wish. Teams will also trade players when they are approaching the end of their contract or when they need new talent. Sometimes the player himself will ask for a transfer to a new team.
This year’s NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh from April 23 to 25.
The heat is on, with changes taking place almost daily. You can get real-time updates with the latest scores and news at livescore.com. LiveScore provides results, game schedules, and the latest news around the intricacies of team management.
The legacy goes on
Trading aside, the Draft system ensures that teams have a fair chance of recruiting elite players from many sources. The stringent selection of college players and the hard work and dedication that go into getting selected for the Draft are what bring world-class sport and entertainment to the US.