Dawgs By Nature
Heading into Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season, we know a lot of what we need to know at this point for the Cleveland Browns. Their Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was exciting, but it cost them any shot at the top overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. The Browns are certain to be picking in the top seven of next year’s draft and are all but certain to have a new head coach at that time.
The “Race to the Bottom” isn’t over, however. Whether Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore, or, after his Sugar Bowl performance, Trinidad Chambliss is the QB answer for Cleveland, the higher the pick, the more options it gives the team, including with a trade up.
If the Browns, currently strong underdogs, fall to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18, their chance to move up in the 2026 NFL draft order would depend on any of the four teams with three victories getting their fourth. Cleveland fans would be rooting for the following, which would all be betting upsets by some margin:
The final game would also benefit the Browns, as the Jaguars would be out of the running for the top seed and bye in the AFC and could lose the AFC South to the Houston Texans. A road playoff game is always more difficult than one at home, and Cleveland’s extra first-round pick spot will not be decided until Jacksonville is eliminated from the playoffs.
Looking ahead to the draft, some fans might be rooting for the Giants to lose. That, coupled with a Las Vegas Raiders victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, would give New York the top overall pick. With Jaxson Dart in place for the Giants, the Browns could have an easier path to trade all the way up to the first overall pick to get a quarterback in that scenario. Jack Duffin over at The OBR did a great job of breaking down all the nuances of the different paths in Week 18.
What is your rooting priority today: Browns get a win, Browns get as high as pick as possible or Giants get the first pick so Browns can trade up?
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