Cleveland Browns fans have certainly enjoyed celebrating a Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. After two straight losing seasons, those moments have been hard to come by for both the players and fans.
Not at 4-12 on the season, though, Cleveland’s positioning in the 2026 NFL Draft order has changed pretty notably. The Bowns were very much in the driver’s seat for a top-two pick in the draft entering last week. Now, where they end up in the order depends on a number of different outcomes from Week 18.
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As things stand right now, the Browns are in the No. 6 spot in the order via Tankathon.
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So what are the best and worst-case scenarios for where they can land?
Believe it or not, there is still a path to the No. 2 overall pick this weekend for Cleveland. If all the 3-win teams ahead of the Browns win on Sunday, and they lose to the Cincinnati Bengals, there would be a tie between upwards of six teams who all shared 4-13 records.
In that instance, the tie breaker would be strength of schedule, which right now the Browns would own given their .491 figure in that category. That number is influenced, though, by the results of Week 18 across the NFL, so the math could absolutely change.
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Ultimately, there is still a world where the Browns could end up near the top of the draft board picking No. 2 overall for a second consecutive year.
It bears stating that the lowest (or highest, depending on how you look at it) the Browns could fall in the order is 7th overall. The teams beyond them and Washington have six wins, making them impossible to catch.
Falling to seventh starts with a Cleveland win over the Bengals in Week 18, and the Commanders losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. If both teams win, or both teams lose, and everything stays status quo ahead of them, the same strength of schedule tiebreaker applies. The Browns have the advantage over Washington there, right now.
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What feels most probable here for the Browns is that they ultimately end up in the top 5 overall, but that is assuming a loss to the Bengals, which, as we saw last week against Pittsburgh, is no guarantee.
Should they lose, though, it’s fair to assume at least one team ahead of them in the order wins and ends up slipping behind Cleveland due to strength of schedule.
The only team the Browns can’t catch at this point is the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cleveland also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2026 first rounder from their draft-night trade this past April that saw them move from No. 2 overall to No. 5 overall and ultimately select DT Mason Graham.
Where the Jags land in the order will all depend on how deep a playoff run they make. They enter Week 18 needing a win or a Houston Texans loss to claim the AFC South.