The Cowboys’ 2025 season is about to come to a merciful end. This weekend’s games will be the last for Dallas and 17 others, and with them comes the decided draft order for all non-playoff teams. Where do the Cowboys’ 2026 draft picks stand heading into the regular-season finales, and how much could their position change over the next two days?
Currently, the 7-8-1 Cowboys would be 14th in the draft order. Their other first-round pick from Green Bay won’t be decided until we see how the Packers fare
in the playoffs, but we know it won’t be any better than 19th. This weekend really doesn’t matter on that front, but it could have a tremendous impact on Dallas’ original pick.
Here is the order going into Week 18:
1. Raiders 2-13
2. Giants 3-13
3. Jets 3-13
4. Titans 3-13
5. Cardinals 3-13
6. Commanders 4-12
7. Browns 4-12
8. Saints 6-10
9. Bengals 6-10
10. Chiefs 6-10
11. Dolphins 7-9
12. Rams (from Falcons) 7-9
13. Buccaneers 7-9
14. Cowboys 7-8-1
15. Lions 8-8
16. Ravens 8-8
17. Vikings 8-8
18. Jets (from Colts) 8-8
The Cowboys’ tie makes this all pretty simple. They won’t get into any big tiebreaker mess with the teams above or below them, assuming none of them have a tied result this week. If they lose this week, Dallas’ pick will be behind all of the 6-11 teams and ahead of the 7-10 crowd. If they beat the Giants, they’ll be behind the 7-10 teams.
The good news is that there is little conflict among the teams that Dallas needs to win or lose; almost none of them are playing each other this week. That means we can have fairly unambiguous rooting interests in the handful of games that are relevant to our draft positioning.
Buccaneers d. Panthers
One situation that’s a little murky is the NFC South. There’s a chance that Atlanta, Carolina (the current leader), and Tampa Bay could all finish 8-9 if the Falcons and Bucs win this week. Oddly, if that happens, the Panthers still win the division in the tiebreaking formula. This would also be ideal for Dallas, which could then potentially get ahead of all three teams in the draft order with a loss.
Falcons d. Saints
No matter who wins the NFC South between Carolina and Tampa, this outcome could help the Cowboys get ahead of Atlanta’s spot in the draft. The pick actually belongs to the L.A. Rams after last year’s trade.
Dolphins d. Patriots
New England is still vying for the #1 seed in the AFC, so they’re not going to take this one lightly. That’s unfortunate for Dallas’ chances of securing a better draft pick than Miami. But you never know in the NFL, and especially in division rivalry games.
Lions d. Bears
If the Cowboys do beat the Giants and finish 8-8-1, then your hope is that there are as many 9-8 non-playoff teams as possible to keep us from dropping too far down the order. Detroit is already eliminated from the playoff, but Chicago also has little to play for as they’ve clinched the NFC North and have no shot at the number-one seed. Your hope is that Dan Campbell keeps his guys fired up to stick it to Ben Johnson and their rivals.
Ravens d. Steelers
On the other side of the motivation spectrum, the winner of this one takes the AFC North and the loser doesn’t even make the playoffs. A Baltimore win guarantees that both teams finish above .500 and have a lower draft pick than Dallas, and we never root for Pittsburgh unless we absolutely have to.
Vikings d. Packers
Much like the other NFC North game, Minnesota is already eliminated and Green Bay is locked into the seventh seed. It’s hard to say who will want this one more, but at least the Vikings are at home and Jordan Love isn’t expected to play.
Colts d. Texans
This isn’t likely; Houston is one of the hottest teams in the league and still has a shot at winning the AFC South. Meanwhile, the Colts have lost six straight and are sending Phillip Rivers back to the pickleball courts. But it only matters if Dallas wins and gets to .500 themselves.
