The 2026 NFL season is still not quite halfway over (thank goodness...), but we're getting close.
Like it or not, football season is flying by, which means more and more attention is going to be paid to the 2027 NFL Draft. In fact, some teams have already shifted focus there, to a degree, with the Indianapolis Colts trading away players like Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner as they prepare for the future.
Entering Week 8 of the season, it's impossible to know exactly how the draft order will shake out, but what would the draft order look like if the season ended today?
There have already been four first-round picks changing hands for this upcoming draft, and it wouldn't be shocking to see more high picks on the move in the near future. Here's how the top 32 picks look heading into Week 8 action.
2027 NFL Draft order entering Week 8: Chargers picking 1st, Jets with 3 picks in the top 12
1. Los Angeles Chargers
2. Tennessee Titans
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Washington Commanders
5. Philadelphia Eagles
6. Houston Texans
7. New York Jets (from Colts)
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10. New York Jets
11. New Orleans Saints
12. New York Jets (from Cowboys)
13. Las Vegas Raiders
14. Cleveland Browns (from Rams)
15. Atlanta Falcons
16. Baltimore Ravens
17. Seattle Seahawks
18. New England Patriots
19. Carolina Panthers
20. Dallas Cowboys (from Packers)
21. New York Giants
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Cincinnati Bengals
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Detroit Lions
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Denver Broncos
28. Chicago Bears
29. Buffalo Bills
30. San Francisco 49ers
31. Kansas City Chiefs
32. Minnesota Vikings
Jets have three picks in the top 12 overall
The trades that have been made over the last year by Jets general manager Darren Mougey are looking more and more genius by the day.
For a team that has already shown a really strong roster foundation this season (on both sides of the ball), to have those three picks available is a general manager's dream. The Jets don't have future clarity at the quarterback position, so that will be the obvious top item on the agenda for them, but that kind of draft capital gives you rare flexibility, especially if those picks end up as high as they are right now.
Chargers winning the Jeremiah Smith derby...but it won't likely last
As much of a disaster as the Chargers have shown to be so far this season, does anyone really buy the idea that this team is going to end up picking 1st overall next year?
Maybe time will prove me wrong about this, but I don't view the Chargers being a dud all season. It's not like they've been losing tight games every week, playing well, and just getting unlucky. They have legitimate concerns and could be in for a top-5 overall pick. But the idea that they are going to finish with the worst record in the NFL after 18 weeks feels far-fetched.
QB-needy teams aren't suffering by winning
Let me explain.
The 2027 NFL Draft class was supposed to be "generational" at the quarterback position. The product and the result on the field so far this season have not been generational.
In fact, probably the opposite.
The perception of quarterbacks who are part of the incoming class is changing each week, but it doesn't feel like there is a true "slam dunk" #1 overall prospect right now. That means that none of these teams is feeling the pressure to "not win" to be in the best position possible for a long-term QB solution.
The idea of "tanking" in the NFL is far-fetched and ridiculous from an in-game perspective anyway, but teams will create a talent gap and let the results be what they will on Sundays. Teams that need quarterbacks in the NFL right now are trying to establish culture in the meantime, and winning isn't going to prevent these teams from the quarterbacks in this class.
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