The last-place Tennessee Titans are still in contention to finish in first place in one race: Getting the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
But with their 26-20 win against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 18, the Titans improved to 1-5 and pushed them to third in terms of where they currently are in the NFL draft order. The Titans last held the No. 1 pick in 2025.
According to tankathon.com, the Los Angeles Chargers (0-5) would have the pick based on their strength of schedule, which is the weakest among the two remaining winless teams in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins (0-5), who did not play this week, is the other teams without a win this season.
Tennessee chose quarterback Cam Ward out of Miami with the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
2027 NFL Draft order
Here's the updated first-round order for the 2027 NFL Draft as Week 6 results come in. The draft order is according to Tankathon, which calculates strength of schedule differently from the NFL:
- LA Chargers (0-5) .566 strength of schedule
- Miami Dolphins (0-5) .615 SOS
- Tennessee Titans (1-5) .490 SOS
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4) .511 SOS
- Arizona Cardinals (1-4) .516 SOS
- Washington Commanders (1-3-1) .474 SOS
- Houston Texans (2-4) .463 SOS
- Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) .473 SOS
- Indianapolis Colts (2-4) .489 SOS
- New Orleans Saints (2-4) .533 SOS
- NY Jets (2-4) .533 SOS
- Atlanta Falcons (2-4) .579 SOS
- Dallas Cowboys (2-3) .442 SOS
- LA Rams (2-3) .517 SOS
- Seattle Seahawks (3-3) .528 SOS
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) .473 SOS
- Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) .484 SOS
- 18. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) .500 SOS
- NY Giants (3-2-1) .426 SOS
- Detroit Lions (3-2) .511 SOS
- Green Bay Packers (3-2) .522 SOS
- Baltimore Ravens (4-2) .462 SOS
- Denver Broncos (4-2) .517 SOS
- New England Patriots (4-2) .533 SOS
- Carolina Panthers (3-2) .505 SOS
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) .459 SOS
- Cleveland Browns (4-2) .479 SOS
- Chicago Bears (4-2) .533 SOS
- Buffalo Bills (4-1) .500 SOS
- San Francisco (5-0) .433 SOS
- Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) .457 SOS
- Minnesota Vikings (5-0) .505 SOS
Would the Titans take another quarterback if they have the first pick in the NFL Draft?
That doesn't seem likely, but with 11 games remaining this season, Cam Ward has plenty of time left to show the Titans and first-year coach Robert Saleh what they have.
Side note: Five of Mel Kiper's top 10 prospects for the 2027 draft are quarterbacks, though Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith tops the list.
Side note II: Tankathon's mock draft has the Titans taking Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker No. 1 overall.
Would the Titans opt for a receiver with top pick?
That may make more sense than drafting a quarterback again, depending on whether or not Cam Ward progresses. Giving Ward a weapon such as Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, considered the best receiver prospect who is draft eligible, could help in his development.
Would the Titans trade the first pick in the NFL Draft?
This scenario would make more sense than any other options, simply because the Titans could fill a lot more holes with the multiple picks/players they'd receive in return.
Teams have traded first pick in the NFL Draft 13 times since 1967, when the common draft era began.
Remaining Tennessee Titans schedule
- vs. Cleveland Browns, Oct. 25
- at Cincinnati Bengals, Nov. 1
- vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Nov. 15
- at Dallas Cowboys, Nov. 22
- at Jacksonville Jaguars, Nov. 29
- vs. Washington Commanders, Dec. 6
- at Detroit Lions, Dec. 13
- vs. Indianapolis Colts, Dec. 20
- at Las Vegas Raiders, Dec. 27
- vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Jan. 3
- at Houston Texans, TBD
How is NFL draft order determined?
NFL Draft order is decided by the reverse order of each team's finish in the regular season and postseason.
The team with the worst record gets the No. 1 pick. Every pick after that, through pick 20, is determined by regular-season records from worst to best.
How do NFL Draft tiebreakers work?
Should teams have identical records, the first tiebreaker is strength of schedule, meaning the team whose opponents had the worst combined winning % receives the higher pick.
If that number is identical, the second tiebreaker is division/conference, meaning head-to-head games, common opponents, strength of victory.
The final tiebreaker, should the first two not work, is a coin toss.
Who are the 2027 NFL Draft top prospects?
ESPN's Mel Kiper's top 10 prospects as of Oct. 15, are:
- Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
- Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
- Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
- Darian Mensah, QB, Miami
- Colin Simmons, Edge, Texas
- Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss
- Chris Cole, LB, Georgia
- CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
- Dylan Stewart, Edge, South Carolina
- Austin Simmons, QB, Missouri
How many times have the Titans made No. 1 overall pick in NFL draft?
The Titans/Oilers have had the first overall pick in the NFL Draft three times.
- 1973: Johnn Matuszak, DE (Oilers)
- 1978: Earl Campbell, RB (Oilers)
- 2025: Cam Ward, QB (Titans)
Have the Titans ever traded the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft?
Yes, twice.
The Titans traded the pick in 2016 to the Los Angeles Rams, who took quarterback Jared Goff.
The Titans received two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two third-round picks in return. One of those picks was used to take Derrick Henry.
The Oilers traded it in 1973 to the Cowboys, who picked Hall of Famer Ed "Too Tall" Jones.
The Oilers received defensive lineman Tody Smith and receiver Billy Parks in return.
Would the Titans draft Arch Manning with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft?
While another quarterback named Manning playing for a football team in Tennessee would be cute for a movie script, the reality is, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, nephew of former Tennessee Vols quarterback Peyton Manning, has done nothing to prove himself worthy of being the top overall pick.
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Updated 2027 NFL Draft order, including where Titans are listed