The New York Giants have a wide range of possible outcomes when it comes to their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
The Giants, who square off with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18, enter the week in the No. 2 spot in the NFL draft order behind the Las Vegas Raiders, per Tankathon.
New York still has an opportunity to move into the No. 1 spot on Sunday, but Big Blue can also fall as far as No. 7 with a victory over the Cowboys.
If the Giants win
If New York beats the Cowboys, the Giants will automatically be eliminated from contention for the No. 1 overall pick and Las Vegas will take it.
From there, the Giants can fall one spot for each of the following teams that lose:
- New York Jets (at Buffalo Bills)
- Tennessee Titans (at Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Arizona Cardinals (at Los Angeles Rams)
- Cleveland Browns (at Cincinnati Bengals)
- Washington Commanders (at Philadelphia Eagles)
The Jets, Titans and Cardinals all have three wins, so the Giants would fall behind them thanks to a superior record after recording a fourth win versus Dallas.
The Browns and Commanders have four wins but an inferior strength of schedule, so New York finishes behind both if the Washington and Cleveland lose.
If the Giants lose
If the Giants fall to the Cowboys on Sunday, they will be guaranteed at least the No. 2 pick, as the three-win teams behind them can't catch up due to a superior strength of schedule.
For the Giants to move up into the No. 1 pick, they would need the Raiders to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, which is certainly possible given the Chiefs are starting a third-string quarterback.
However, the Giants aren't guaranteed to secure the top pick even if that scenario plays out. If all three of the following results happen, the Raiders will still secure the No. 1 overall pick:
- Cincinnati Bengals defeat Cleveland Browns
- New Orleans Saints defeat Atlanta Falcons
- Detroit Lions defeat Chicago Bears
If all three of those things happen, the Giants and Raiders would be tied in strength of schedule, but because New York beat Las Vegas in Week 17, the Raiders would remain in the top draft spot.
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