The New York Jets have finally won a football game in the 2025 season, coming back to topple the Cincinnati Bengals in dramatic fashion on Sunday. Perhaps even better for the Jets, though, is that they did not have to experience the continual misery of losing every Sunday while also still keeping themselves in great position when it comes to the 2026 NFL Draft order. Immediately after the win, they still held the No. 1 overall pick, but they moved down to No. 2 after a loss by the New Orleans Saints in the late window.
Looking at specifically teams like the Jets and Browns (and to lesser degrees, the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders), an increasingly rich quarterback class in the 2026 NFL Draft comes into focus. And it's no guarantee that the Saints aren't in that conversation either. They could all use new blood at quarterback and another shot at finding their franchise guy, and this class affords them ample opportunity to take varying levels of prospects.
That's great news for the likes of the Titans, Giants and even the Ravens (for now), though. While it's a great quarterback class, the defensive talent in this draft is where the money is to be made, and those teams' seemingly solidified state at the position could help them secure a game-changer on the other side of the ball while teams around them jockey for quarterbacks.
But now that we're getting through Week 8, it's time we take full stock of the 2026 NFL Draft, starting with the updated draft order and then moving into a mock draft for the top 10 picks to see which QBs are taken and by which teams — along with where other future stars could find their new homes.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft order after Week 8
- New Orleans Saints (1-7)
- New York Jets (1-7)
- Tennessee Titans (1-7)
- Cleveland Browns (2-6)
- Miami Dolphins (2-6)
- New York Giants (2-6)
- Baltimore Ravens (2-5)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
- Arizona Cardinals (2-6)
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)
- Washington Commanders (3-5
- Los Angeles Rams (via ATL (3-4))
- Minnesota Vikings (3-4)
- Houston Texans (3-4)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-4-1)
- Carolina Panthers (4-4)
- Chicago Bears (4-3)
- Cleveland Browns (via JAX (4-3))
- Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-3)
- Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
- Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
- Los Angeles Rams (5-2)
- Detroit Lions (5-2)
- Buffalo Bills (5-2)
- Seattle Seahawks (5-2)
- Denver Broncos (6-2)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2)
- New England Patriots (6-2)
- Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
- Dallas Cowboys (via GB (5-1-1))
- Indianapolis Colts (7-1)
The Saints now hold the No. 1 pick in the draft. With Spencer Rattler being benched in Week 8, the question now becomes what Tyler Shough, drafted in the second round in 2025, needs to show to earn another look next season. If not, the allure of the QB class might be too much for New Orleans to pass up at the top of the draft board, especially with the Jets still just right behind them and all but certain to draft a quarterback in their own right.
New York was fortunate to not drop too far after a win, but less fortunate after a long-awaited win were the Dolphins on Sunday. It looked like the Tua Tagovailoa of old, at least for one week, in a drubbing of the Falcons. However, this doesn't feel sustainable, especially after the past few seasons, and now they are moving back in the top 10 of the draft order, which could shrink the pool of possible quarterback selections that the franchise might be eyeing.
2026 NFL Mock Draft: Projecting the top 10 picks with current draft order
Team | NFL Mock Draft Projection |
|---|---|
1. New Orleans Saints | QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) |
2. New York Jets | QB Ty Simpson (Alabama) |
3. Tennessee Titans | EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) |
4. Cleveland Browns | QB Dante Moore Jr. (Oregon) |
5. Miami Dolphins | S Caleb Downs (Ohio State) |
6. New York Giants | WR Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) |
7. Baltimore Ravens | LB/EDGE Arvell Reese (Ohio State) |
8. Las Vegas Raiders | QB LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) |
9. Arizona Cardinals | OT Spencer Fano (Utah) |
10. Cincinnati Bengals | EDGE David Bailey (Texas Tech) |
Fernando Mendoza, currently the Heisman Trophy frontrunner while leading Indiana to an all-but-assured College Football Playoff berth, is going to be the first quarterback off the board in the 2026 draft. And I have a hard time believe the Saints, in that spot, would pass that up. Rattler has been given plenty of chances, and the fact that Shough is just now getting his shot doesn't speak highly of how he's performed in practice. This franchise needs to start hitting a firm reset, and Mendoza can start that.
That leaves Ty Simpson and Dante Moore out of Alabama and Oregon, respectively, as the next quarterbacks off the board. Simpson comes off first after a breakout season with the Crimson Tide and goes right to be the next savior of the Jets. That hasn't worked out well for recent QBs to get that distinction, but the rapid growth of Simpson with his timing and feel for the position combined with his arm strength and touch, and not to mention a solid dash of mobility, make him the No. 2 pick.
With both Simpson and Moore, overall inexperience is a question, one that doesn't exist with Mendoza. But the Browns are in a position to utilize that. I'd have to guess that they haven't seen enough from Dillon Gabriel to believe he's a long-term option at quarterback, but he could bide time until they deem that Moore is ready, and the successor to Gabriel at Oregon has substantially more upside than his predecessor at the pro level.
One more quarterback sneaks into the top 10 with LaNorris Sellers going to the Raiders. The South Carolina QB hasn't had the season that he'd hoped for, to be sure, but one could argue that the dual-threat signal-caller still has the most raw talent both in terms of his arm and legs in the 2026 draft class. Allowing him some time to sit behind Geno Smith could be the best course of action for Vegas.
Miami could take a quarterback, to be sure, but they instead pass on that — for now — to add to a defense that's ailing mightily, the Week 8 win over the Falcons not withstanding. They get a stud in Caleb Downs, who might be the best individual player in the draft, just not at a premium position. The Titans and Ravens join the Dolphins in this by taking a pair of edge defenders, Rueben Bain Jr. and Arvell Reese, both of whom have flashed game-changer potential in the front-seven this season. The Bengals also round out the Top 10 with David Bailey, who's been a force defensively for Texas Tech this year.
Only two non-quarterback offensive players go in the Top 10, but they make complete sense. The Giants need another weapon with Jaxson Dart and Jordyn Tyson has clearly separated himself as WR1 in this class. Meanwhile, Arizona has to bite the bullet and address the offensive line again as the trenches have continued to fail them, so Spencer Fano is the obvious addition to make in that spot.