Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers are looking toward the NFL playoffs, and their draft position won’t be completely finalized until they either are eliminated in the postseason or win the Super Bowl. But the conclusion of the regular season did crystallize the draft order for the teams that were eliminated from postseason contention.
Heading into Week 18, the Raiders, an AFC West rival, was penciled into the first overall pick after their Week 17 loss to the New York Giants, who had held it previously. After Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, the Raiders stick at No. 1 overall.
Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Chiefs are picking the highest they have since 2017, when they selected quarterback Patrick Mahomes with the 10th overall selection. And we won’t officially know where the AFC West winners, the Broncos, will be picking until we see how their playoff efforts go.
Here’s the updated 2026 draft order following Sunday’s Week 18 games.
