The New York Jets will spend another week atop the projected order for the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Jets are still the only winless team in the NFL and the opportunity for upward movement in the draft order is starting to dwindle for them.
There are only five 1-5 teams ahead of the Jets after Week 6, and one of them, the Baltimore Ravens, isn’t expected to be inside the projected top five for much longer.
The Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints feel like the Jets’ true competition to land the top pick in April.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
The next month feels like the ideal opportunity for the Jets to pull themselves out of their 0-6 hole.
The Jets host the Carolina Panthers, visit the Cincinnati Bengals, have a bye and then welcome the Cleveland Browns to MetLife Stadium.
It’s not out of line to think the Jets can win at least two of those games and launch themselves out of the No. 1 overall pick slot.
Cincinnati’s offense looks lost, even with Joe Flacco at the helm, and even with three straight home games on the docket, the Bengals don’t seem to have a ton of life at the moment.
Cleveland could also see the next month as an opportunity to get better. The Browns host the Miami Dolphins next week and play the Jets on November 9.
Miami’s sinking ship could get a lot worse if it loses to the Browns next week. After that, the Dolphins run into a gauntlet of games against the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders.
If the Dolphins lose in Cleveland, they might be considered the favorite to land the top pick.
At least the Jets and Browns can boast about their defenses and the Tennessee Titans are building toward the future.
Miami is at the end of a franchise cycle, and if things get uglier for Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins may end up as the worst team in the NFL.
One team almost guaranteed to not be in this conversation in a few weeks is the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson is expected back after the Week 7 bye and that could set the Ravens up for a push at the playoffs.
The assumption is the Ravens are good enough to pull themselves out of the hole, but it’s still jarring to see one of the preseason Super Bowl favorites with a projected top-five draft pick after Week 6.
