NFL Draft 2026 – First Round Order

Dec. 16, 2025
Frank Coyle/ Pro scout

Giants & Raiders Hold Top Two Overall Selections

The first-round draft order is posted below with three games to go. Currently, the GMen hold the 1^st overall selection at 2-12. They are tied with the Raiders and Titans but currently rank higher due to strength of schedule. Gmen and Raiders will meet on Week 17 in Las Vegas and maybe the deciding matchup of the year for the top overall selection.

Here is the current first-round draft order following the Steelers win Monday night.
Tie breakers are broken first by strength of schedule, then by head to head matchups.

NFL Draft 2026 – First Round Order

Team                    W-L record

1          NY Giants                     2-12

2          Las Vegas                     2-12

3          Tennessee                    2-12

4          Cleveland                      3-11

5          NY Jets                         3-11

6          Arizona                         3-11

7          New Orleans                 4-10

8          Washington                   4-10

9          Cincinnati                      4-10

10         LA Rams (Atlanta)         5-9

11         Miami                           6-8

12         Kansas City                  6-8

13         Minnesota                     6-8

14         Dallas                           6-7-1

15         Baltimore                      7-7

16         Carolina                        7-7

17         Detroit                           8-6

18         NY Jets (Indianapolis)    8-6

Playoff Teams as of Dec. 16th

19         Tampa Bay                   7-7

20         Pittsburgh                     8-6

21         Philadelphia                   9-5

22         Houston                        9-5

23         Dallas (Green Bay)        9-4-1

24         Buffalo                          10-4

25         Chicago                        10-4

26         LA Chargers                  10-4

27         San Francisco               10-4

28         Cleveland (Jacksonville) 10-4

29         New England                 11-3

30         Seattle                          11-3

31         LA Rams                       11-3

32         Denver                          12-2

All ties in record are broken by current strength of schedule.
Atlanta, Green Bay, Jacksonville and Indianapolis all currently do not have 1st-round selections from prior deals.

March 11, 2026
The 2026 League Year and Free agency signing period begins at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Trading period for 2026 begins at 4:00 p.m. ET, after expiration of all 2025 contracts

All-Star Schedule 2026

​The All-star season is fast approaching as the college football schedule enters the bowl season and CFP playoffs. DraftInsiders.com staff and Frank Coyle will scout these events again extensively as a critical part of the scouting process.

January 10, 2026

2026 Hula Bowl

Hula Bowl will be held at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium, DeLand, Florida

Kickoff: 12:00 pm est, Saturday, January 10th, 2026

Celebrating 80 years of the Hula Bowl – Est. 1946

January 18, 2026

Tropical All-Star Game

Scheduled for January 15-18, 2026, in Orlando, Florida, with the game on January 18 at Municipal Stadium (Celebration Stadium area)

January 22, 2026

American Bowl – Jan 22, 2026, Orlando, NFL Network

January 27, 2026

East-West Shrine Game

Frisco, Texas, for the 101st East-West Shrine Bowl, benefiting Shriners Children’s. The game kicks off Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at Ford Center at The Star.

January 31st, 2026

2026 Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl – 1:30 p.m. Mobile, Alabama

Stadium – University of South Alabama, Hancock Whitney Stadium

The Senior Bowl is a game that showcases the nation’s best senior collegiate football players and top NFL Draft prospects. It is a week on practices and interviews in front of over 700 NFL personnel men and scouts.

Mendoza Wins Heisman Trophy Award

NEW YORK — QB Fernando Mendoza of #1 Indiana, won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, becoming the first Hoosier to win college football’s most prestigious award since its inception in 1935.

Mendoza claimed 2,362 points, including 643 first-place votes. He beat Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (1,435 points), Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (719 points) and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (432 points).

Frank Coyle voted for Fernando Mendoza. He is a longtime member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 34 years.

Mendoza lead the Hoosiers to their first #1 ranking and the top seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, winning the Big Ten Championship in the process. He threw for 2,980 yards and a national-best 33 TD passes while also running for 6 scores. Indiana, the last unbeaten team in major college football, will play in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented on Jan. 1^st after a bye week next weekend in the opening round.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was in attendance at the ceremony. As Mendoza greeted Cignetti after winning, the coach simply said, “Great job, bro. You deserve that one.”

Mendoza was a first-year starter at Indiana after transferring from California and set new team records for TDs and points during last season’s surprise run to the CFP. He is the second Heisman finalist in school history, joining 1989 runner-up Anthony Thompson. Mendoza is the seventh Indiana player to earn a top-10 finish in Heisman balloting, and it marks another first in program history: having back-to-back players in the top 10. Hoosiers QB Kurtis Rourke was ninth last season.

“This trophy might have my name on it,” Mendoza said at the lectern, again acknowledging his teammates back on campus. “But it belongs to all of you, it belongs, for the first time, in Bloomington. Playing in front of Hoosier Nation is one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

Quarterbacks have won the Heisman in four of the past five years, with two-way player Travis Hunter of Colorado ending the run last season.

The Heisman Trophy presentation came after several accolades were already awarded. Mendoza was named The Associated Press player of the year earlier this week and picked up the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards Friday night, and Love won the Doak Walker Award.

Underclassmen for the NFL Draft 2026

Corners, McCoy & Cisse Declare for Class

By Position / alphabetically

Dec. 11th

Frank Coyle / Head Scout

The following players have officially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Offensive Players

RB Emmett Johnson -Nebraska, Jr – 5-11, 200, 4.50 – Declared

RB LJ Martin – BYU, Jr – 6-2, 225, 4.50  Walked on Senior Day

WR Chris Brazzell – Tennessee, Jr – 6-5, 200, 4.50 – Declard

WR Jordyn Tyson – Arizona State, Jr – 6-1, 195, 4.50 – Declared

WR Antonio Williams – Clemson, Jr –  5-11, 190, 4.45 – Declared

OT Jude Bowry – Boston College, Jr – 6-5, 310, 5.15  – E-W Invite

OT Kage Casey – Boise State, Jr – 6-5, 315, 5.15 – Declared

Defensive Players

Edge TJ Parker – Clemson, Jr – 6-3, 265, 4.60 – Declared

Edge Anto Saka – Northwestern, Jr –  6-3, 250, 4.60 – E-W Invite

DT Keanu Tanuvasa -BYU, Jr – 6-3, 300, 4.95 – Walked on Senior Day

DT Peter Woods – Clemson, Jr – 6-3, 315, 4.95 – Declared

LB Isaiah Glasker – BYU, Jr – 6-4, 240, 4.70 – Walked on Senior Day

LB Anthony Hill – Texas, Jr – 6-3, 235, 4.50 – Declared

LB Red Murdock – Buffalo, Jr – 6-3, 235, 4.75 – E-W Invite

LB Harold Perkins – LSU, Jr – 6-1, 220, 4.55 – E-W Invite

CB Brandon Cisse – South Carolina, Jr – 6-0, 190, 4.45 – Declared

CB Jermod McCoy – Tennessee, Jr – 511, 195, 4.45 – Declared

CB Avieon Terrell – Clemson, Jr – 5-10, 180, 4.48 – Declared

CB Collin Wright – Stanford, Jr – 6-0, 195, 4.50 – Senior Bowl Invite

S Ty Benefield – Boise State – Jr – 6-2, 205, 4.55  -Declared

S Jalon Kilgore – South Carolina, Jr. – 6-1, 210, 4.50 – Declared

P Ryan Eckley – Michigan State, Jr – 6-2, 205, 4.95 – Declared

NFL Draft 2026 – First Round Order

Dec. 9, 2025
Frank Coyle/ Pro scout

Raiders Move to Top Overall Selection

Here is the current first-round draft order following the Chargers win Monday night.
Tie breakers are broken first by strength of schedule, then by head to head matchups.

NFL Draft 2026 – First Round Order

Team                        W-L record

1          Las Vegas                     2-11

2          Tennessee                    2-11

3          NY Giants                     2-11

4          Cleveland                      3-10

5          NY Jets                         3-10

6          Washington                   3-10

7          New Orleans                 3-10

8          Arizona                         3-10

9          LA Rams (Atlanta)         4-9

10         Cincinnati                      4-9

11         Minnesota                     5-8

12         Miami                           6-7

13         Baltimore                      6-7

14         Kansas City                  6-7

15         Dallas                           6-6-1

16         Carolina                        7-6

17         Detroit                           8-5

18         NY Jets (Indianapolis)    8-5

Playoff Teams as of Dec. 9th

19         Tampa Bay                   7-6

20         Pittsburgh                     7-6

21         Philadelphia                   8-5

22         Houston                        8-5

23         Chicago                        9-4

24         LA Chargers                  9-4

25         Buffalo                          9-4

26         San Francisco               9-4

27         Cleveland (Jacksonville) 9-4

28         Dallas (Green Bay)        9-3-1

29         Seattle                          10-3

30         LA Rams                       10-3

31         Denver                          11-2

32         New England                 11-2

           All ties in record are broken by strength of schedule.
Atlanta, Green Bay, Jacksonville and Indianapolis all currently do not have 1st-round selections from prior deals.

March 11, 2026
The 2026 League Year and Free agency signing period begins at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Trading period for 2026 begins at 4:00 p.m. ET, after expiration of all 2025 contracts

Rimington Trophy Announces Three Finalists

Centers, Logan Jones, Iapani Laloulu & Jake Slaughter Named Top Three DI Centers

The Rimington Trophy Committee announces 2025 Finalists for the Most Outstanding Center

Finalists

Logan Jones, University of Iowa
Logan Jones anchors Iowa’s offensive line, which is a Joe Moore Award semifinalist. Jones, a first-team All-Big Ten honoree, has started 50 career games and has served as a game captain all 12 games this season. He is the top-rated center in the country by Pro Football Focus and has not been flagged for an offensive holding penalty in 2025. Jones and the Hawkeyes outrushed their opponents nine times in 2025. Jones’ protection along with the rest of the line has helped quarterback Mark Gronowski break school single-season records for rushing yards (491) and rushing touchdowns (15) by a quarterback. Jones was named first team Big Ten and first team All-America honors by DraftInsiders.com

Iapani Laloulu, University of Oregon
Iapani Laloulu has started all 12 games for the Ducks at center in 2025 and has started 27 consecutive games for Oregon dating back to 2023. An all-Big Ten second-team selection by the league’s coaches. No. 2 among Big Ten centers and fourth among FBS centers with an 89.1 pass-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus. Has allowed just one sack and only six total pressures in 333 pass-blocking opportunities this season. In his career, has surrendered just one total sack and 18 pressures in 1,051 pass-blocking opportunities. The leader of an Oregon offensive line that is a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award for the fourth consecutive year. A key piece of an Oregon offense that ranks in the top 20 nationally in scoring (9th, 38.2 PPG), total offense (13th, 465.2 YPG), rushing offense (14th, 218.42 YPG), sacks allowed (T-17th, 14) and tackles for loss allowed (8th, 43).

Jake Slaughter, University of Florida
Jake Slaughter started all 12 games at center for the Florida Gators in 2025, posting a 100 percent block rate and zero pressures in eight of 12 games, including four of the last five. For the season he allowed just one sack, one quarterback hit and two hurries. He anchored an offensive line that saw running back Jadan Baugh finish third in the SEC with 1,170 rushing yards. Slaughter was named a 2024 First-Team All-American by the Associated Press and ESPN. He was named 2^nd team All-America honors by DraftInsiders.com

Selection Process

While more than a dozen All-America teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these three prestigious teams to determine a winner:
Walter Camp Foundation (WCF)
Sporting News (SN)
Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)

Because the selectors of these three All-America teams can place centers in a “mix” of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two centers. The Rimington Trophy committee’s policy is to count all players that play primarily the center position for their respective teams as centers, even though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the All- America teams.

The center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with the most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by a majority vote from the Rimington Trophy Committee.

Winner will be announced this Friday, December 12th on the ESPN College Football Awards Show.

2025 College Football Conference Championship Weekend

The 2025 college football conference championship games are scheduled for Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6. Friday’s games include the Conference USA, Sun Belt, American, and Mountain West championships.

Saturday features the Big 12, MAC, SEC, ACC, and Big Ten championship games, all with final CFP implications entering the playoff rounds.

Ohio St hosts Indiana in a battle of #1 and #2 with the top seed to the winner.  Georgia hosts Alabama in another SEC battle of titans.  Alabama won the regular season game 24-21 in Athens, Ga. Texas Tech faces BYU in a clash of two underrated clubs. Texas Tech won the regular season game 29-7 in Lubbuck, Tx. The rematch in the Big 12 title game stays in Texas at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium.

Noticeably absent from the Championship weekend is Texas A&M, Oregon and Ole Miss, all at 11-1 record, though out of the title games.

All games have specific start times. locations and channels listed.

Friday, December 5

Conference USA: Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State      7 p.m. ET on CBSSN
Sun Belt: Troy at James Madison                                           7 p.m. ET on ESPN
American Athletic: North Texas vs. Tulane                              8 p.m. ET on ABC
Mountain West: Boise State vs. UNLV                                    8 p.m. ET on FOX

Saturday, December 6

Big 12 – BYU vs. Texas Tech                         12 p.m. ET on ABC at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tx
MAC – Western Michigan vs. Miami (Oh)     12 p.m. ET on ESPN at Ford Field in Detroit, Mi
SEC – Georgia vs. Alabama                           4 p.m. ET on ABC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga
ACC – Virginia vs. Duke                                8 p.m. ET on ABC at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC
Big Ten – Ohio State vs. Indiana                    8 p.m. ET on FOX at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, In