2026 NFL draft order: Saints take a step back after Week 13 loss

It goes from bad to worse. The New Orleans Saints lost this week and got mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but that's not all. They also took a step back in the 2026 draft order. Because the New York Giants lost in a blowout to the New England Patriots on Monday night, Big Blue falls to 2-11 on the year, one loss ahead of the Saints at 2-10. That's the difference in picking second or third overall.

Of course it isn't over yet. Another Saints loss this week to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Giants are on bye, would put New Orleans in the No. 2 spot behind the one-win Tennessee Titans. But we still need to keep an eye on the 2-10 Las Vegas Raiders, too. While it's looking more and more likely the Saints will be picking top-five next year, it isn't a sure thing just yet.

For now, here are the top 10 picks in 2026, ordered by the experts at Tankathon:

1. Tennessee Titans (1-11)

2. New York Giants (2-11)

3. New Orleans Saints (2-10)

4. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)

5. Cleveland Browns (3-9)

6. Washington Commanders (3-9)

7. New York Jets (3-9)

8. Arizona Cardinals (3-9)

9. Los Angeles Rams, via Atlanta Falcons (4-8)

If you're curious, running the table would mean the Saints pick no higher than 15th in the upcoming draft class. They're capped at seven wins and there are too many seven-win teams competing for a playoff berth right now to keep them from falling further behind in the draft order. But we're predicting the Saints to only win two, maybe three more games down the stretch, which would go a long way to locking up one of those first three selections. Depending on how things go in Tennessee, the Saints might even pick first overall.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2026 NFL draft order: Saints take a step back after Week 13 loss