It's never a good thing to be pondering the NFL Draft after Week 7, but that's simply the position that some teams are in. Two of them happen to be from the AFC East as well as the New York Jets have been a disaster all year after banking on Justin Fields, while the Miami Dolphins are crumbling before our eyes, even benching Tua Tagovailoa for Quinn Ewers in a windy loss to Cleveland on Sunday. And no matter what happens, their position in the 2026 NFL Draft order is unlikely to change too much throughout the rest of the season.
Those aren't the only teams in trouble that should already be eyeing the draft, however. The Tennessee Titans are learning with each passing week that they were much further from competing than just adding Cam Ward. And while Spencer Rattler is flashing for the New Orleans Saints, the rest of the roster is just simply not adequate, the same of which is true for the Browns and Raiders — though those teams come with quarterback questions as well.
Now that we are seven weeks into the season, though, it feels like the perfect time to check in on the updated 2026 NFL Draft order and where things stand, but also to see which draft prospects the worst teams in the league to this point could target with a mock draft as well.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft order after Week 7
- New York Jets (0-7)
- Miami Dolphins (1-6)
- New Orleans Saints (1-6)
- Tennessee Titans (1-6)
- Baltimore Ravens (1-5)
- Cleveland Browns (2-5)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
- New York Giants (2-5)
- Arizona Cardinals (2-5)
- Houston Texans (2-3)
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)
- Washington Commanders (3-4)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-3-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (3-3)
- Kansas City Chiefs (4-3)
- Carolina Panthers (4-3)
- Los Angeles Rams (via ATL (3-2))
- Chicago Bears (4-2)
- Cleveland Browns (via JAX (4-3))
- Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
- Buffalo Bills (4-2)
- San Francisco 49ers (4-2)
- Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
- Detroit Lions (4-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
- Denver Broncos (5-2)
- Los Angeles Rams (5-2)
- New England Patriots (5-2)
- Dallas Cowboys (via GB (4-1-1))
- Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1)
- Indianapolis Colts (6-1)
Seven weeks into the season, and there are a logjam of simply undeniably bad football teams right now. The Jets might be the only winless group in the league, but there are still five teams with only one win or fewer — none of which are as surprising as the Baltimore Ravens, who were on bye in Week 7 — while every team currently selecting in the Top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft has two wins ore fewer.
That could only get crazier, however, with how the league and the middle of the draft order looks through nearly two months of NFL action. While teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have somewhat separated themselves, there is also definitively no great team in the league this year. We could be in store for the majority of the league still being alive for a postseason berth late into the season, which is only going to make the NFL Draft order even more ever-changing and highly dependent upon weekly results.
The late window, meanwhile, provided some stunning late flips in the draft order. The Dallas Cowboys moved further away from the Top 10 in the draft with a big win over Washington. Meanwhile, Jayden Daniels' injury threatens to push the Commanders into the Top 10 depending on the severity of it with a brutal upcoming schedule.
Beyond that, the Giants failed to improve their record after blowing two separate leads to the Broncos in Denver in the fourth quarter, while the Colts became the first team to reach six wins this season with a dominant victory over the Chargers. Not much changed in the Top 10, especially with the Cardinals also losing, but the outskirts of that spot in the draft is only making things more interesting moving forward.
2026 NFL Mock Draft: Projecting the Top 10 picks with current draft order
Knowing what the current draft order looks like is one thing, but trying to figure out what these teams could do with those picks is even more important. So it only stands to reason that we look at the top of the draft with an updated mock draft featuring four quarterbacks going in the Top 10.
Team | NFL Mock Draft Projection |
|---|---|
1. New York Jets | QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) |
2. Miami Dolphins | QB Ty Simpson (Alabama) |
3. New Orleans Saints | EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) |
4. Tennessee Titans | WR Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) |
5. Baltimore Ravens | EDGE Keldric Faulk (Auburn) |
6. Cleveland Browns | QB Dante Moore Jr. (Oregon) |
7. Las Vegas Raiders | QB John Mateer (Oklahoma) |
8. New York Giants | S Caleb Downs |
9. Arizona Cardinals | OT Spencer Fano (Utah) |
10. Houston Texans | OL Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) |
It's abundantly clear that the Jets need to take another swing at finding their quarterback of the future with the Justin Fields experiment going belly up. However, that decision at the top is getting more difficult with each passing week. I'm still going with Fernando Mendoza simply due to the longer track record and experience level at the position, but Ty Simpson is undoubtedly making it a conversation at the helm of a dynamic Alabama offense.
The Dolphins won't be complaining, though. After Tua was benched in Week 7, they could use some of the rest of the season to get a better look at Quinn Ewers to see what the rookie seventh-rounder can offer the offense. But it's more likely they try to find a way to turn the page and Simpson could fall in their laps. Soon after Miami's pick, we also have the Browns taking a higher-upside swing at quarterback with the fast-rising Dante Moore and the Raiders moving on quickly from Geno Smith for John Mateer (though LaNorris Sellers could be in play with that pick as well).
Beyond that, the Titans give Cam Ward his most viable weapon yet with Jordyn Tyson as the ASU receiver is separating himself as the 2026 class' clear WR1, while Rueben Bain Jr. gives the Saints defense a shot in the arm, the same of which is true for Keldric Faulk and the rapidly declining defense in Baltimore. To wrap things up in the Top 10, the Giants luck into perhaps the best overall player in the draft with Caleb Downs before two big men in the trenches help fortify the offensive lines of the Cardinals and Texas with Spencer Fano and Kadyn Proctor, respectively.