There are a few clear teams that will be in contention for the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Which teams will be in this group? Is it too early to be thinking about the 2026 NFL Draft? Probably, but here we are.
It's not a mystery that a few teams in the NFL are going to compete for the 'worst team' award in the 2025 NFL Season, and while we are still a bit early in the offseason, these teams have just no shot, and that is just putting it lightly.
Let's see which three teams will be completing for the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Predicting most likely teams to contend for no. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
New York Giants
With the hardest schedule in the NFL, a below-average QB situation, and a bad roster overall, the New York Giants are absolutely in contention to earn the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It would be interesting to see what direction the franchise would go in if this scenario came true, as they used a first-round pick on Jaxson Dart.
That could be quite the interesting decision for this broken franchise to make.
New Orleans Saints
The shocking retirement of Derek Carr has really made things tough for the New Orleans Saints, as it's likely that we see rookie QB Tyler Shough for most, if not all of the 2025 NFL Season. Well, Shough was hardly a second-round prospect and might not have a super long leash in the NFL, especially if it's clear that the Saints won't win many games.
The no. 1 overall pick is firmly in view for the Saints. The roster itself is old, brittle, and just bad overall.
Cleveland Browns
Drafting two QBs in the 2025 NFL Draft really only makes things more unclear for the Cleveland Browns, but neither Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel are likely the answer for this franchise, so we could see this team reset their QB room in the 2026 NFL Draft, where players like LaNorris Sellers, Drew Allar, and Arch Manning could be in contention for the first overall pick.
The Browns might have some light at the end of the tunnel, though, so the fans may simply have to be patient.