NFL Week 16 picks include Chargers, Eagles and Panthers
Lorenzo Reyes explains why he’s picking two underdogs from Sunday’s slate of games.
Holiday shopping has changed a lot over the years.
In the past, people would actually go to stores in search of gifts – walking around the mall or scanning the shelves at whatever brick-and-mortar location they chose. At the end of the experience, you would leave with the gift in hand, possessing the item that would soon belong to someone else.
All of that changed in the name of convenience. Online shopping made it so that the delivery drivers became a modern Santa and the front door is the new chimney next to the tree.
The downside is that not every gift will arrive in time for the holiday events. Some things will take a little longer, well beyond the typical gift-giving day of the year.
Teams like the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans entered Week 16 in a tie for the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Others like the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals lurked in the background.
There is no No. 1 pick gift under the tree, at least yet. That will come in a couple of weeks, when the final order is unwrapped.
Until then, teams will keep dreaming – and looking out the window for that package to arrive.
Here’s a look at the updated 2026 NFL Draft order in Week 16.
Here’s a look at the updated first-round order as Week 16 results come in, according to Tankathon, which calculates strength of schedule differently from the NFL:
New York Giants: 2-13 record; .530 strength of scheduleLas Vegas Raiders 2-13; .543 SOSCleveland Browns: 3-12, .490 SOSNew York Jets: 3-12, .536 SOSTennessee Titans: 3-12, .574 SOSArizona Cardinals: 3-12; .575 SOSWashington Commanders: 4-11; .502 SOSNew Orleans Saints: 5-10; .494 SOSCincinnati Bengals: 5-10; .516 SOSMiami Dolphins: 6-9; .488 SOSAtlanta Falcons (pick belongs to Los Angeles Rams): 6-9; .500 SOSKansas City Chiefs: 6-9; .518 SOSDallas Cowboys: 6-8-1; .443 SOSBaltimore Ravens: 7-8; .504 SOSMinnesota Vikings: 7-8; .520 SOSTampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-8, .528 SOSDetroit Lions: 8-7; .492 SOSIndianapolis Colts (pick belongs to Jets): 8-6; .531 SOSCarolina Panthers: 8-7, .510 SOSPittsburgh Steelers: 9-6; .508 SOSGreen Bay Packers (pick belongs to Cowboys): 9-5-1; .484 SOSPhiladelphia Eagles: 10-5; .478 SOSHouston Texans: 10-5; .542 SOSBuffalo Bills: 11-4, .460 SOSSan Francisco 49ers: 10-4, .496 SOSLos Angeles Chargers: 11-4; .459 SOSJacksonville Jaguars (pick belongs to Browns): 11-4; .496 SOSLos Angeles Rams: 11-4, .531 SOSChicago Bears: 11-4; .448 SOSNew England Patriots: 12-3; .380 SOSDenver Broncos: 12-3; .433 SOSSeattle Seahawks: 12-3; .500 SOS2026 NFL mock draft
This is how USA TODAY Sports’ Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz projected the top five picks in his latest mock draft:
New York Jets (proposed trade w/NYG): QB Fernando Mendoza, IndianaLas Vegas Raiders: QB Dante Moore, OregonTennessee Titans: LB/DE Arvell Reese, Ohio StateCleveland Browns: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio StateNew York Giants (proposed trade w/NYJ): WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State