The Las Vegas Raiders are No. 1 − and former owner Al Davis would doubtless be sick about it.
But the Silver and Black’s current Commitment to Excellence unfortunately extends only to summiting the apex of the 2026 NFL draft order, the Raiders clinching − for lack of a better term − the spot Jan. 4 when the New York Giants, who cruised past Las Vegas 34-10 in Week 17, defeated the Dallas Cowboys in their regular-season finale. The Giants’ victory locked the Raiders into the league’s worst record, even though they improved to 3-14 by beating the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon. But Las Vegas’ .538 strength of schedule, the weakest among the four 3-14 clubs, kept it in the top spot.
2026 NFL Draft first-round order
Las Vegas Raiders (3-14, .538 strength of schedule)
New York Jets (3-14, .552)
Arizona Cardinals (3-14, .571)
Tennessee Titans (3-14, .574)
New York Giants (4-13)
Cleveland Browns (5-12, .486)
Washington Commanders (5-12, .507)
New Orleans Saints (6-11, .495)
Kansas City Chiefs (6-11, .516)
Cincinnati Bengals (6-11, .521)
Miami Dolphins (7-10)
Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1)
Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons (8-9, .495))
Baltimore Ravens (8-9, .507)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9, .529)
Jets (from Indianapolis Colts (8-9, .538))
Detroit Lions (9-8, .490)
Minnesota Vikings (9-8, .514)
(Note: Spots 19 through 32 in Round 1 will be determined by when teams exit from the playoffs, wild-card round losers slotting 19 through 24.)
Who will the Raiders draft first in 2026?
That will likely be a topic of some debate over the next four months, but Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University will likely be the prohibitive choice − whether the Raiders use the pick or trade it.
Have the Raiders picked No. 1 overall before?
Yes, the then-Oakland Raiders chose QB JaMarcus Russell No. 1 overall in 2007 in one of the worst draft decisions in NFL history. Who could they have taken instead? Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch and Darrelle Revis all came off the board in the first half of Round 1.