Five NFL Teams Already Looking Like No. 1 Pick Contenders After Brutal Week 1

Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is officially in the books. Several rookies put forth impressive performances. Elsewhere, various bad teams already looked like legitimate contenders for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2027 NFL Draft.

A handful of rebuilding squads entered the 2026 campaign with little-to-no expectations. A couple of those organizations appear on this list. There were also a few middling teams that looked worse than imaginable, leading to fanbase speculation.

The 2027 NFL Draft is littered with premium talent. Franchise quarterbacks flew off the board in our latest first-round mock draft. The following five teams already appear in contention for the No. 1 overall pick.

Five NFL Teams Most Likely to Have the No. 1 Overall Pick in the 2027 NFL Draft After Brutal Week 1 Showing

5. New York Jets (via IND)

The New York Jets are equipped with three first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft as a result of previous trades with the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts. Week 1 went perfectly. The Jets beat up on the Tennessee Titans, and both the Colts and Cowboys lost. Indianapolis looked especially bad, losing 41-23 to the Baltimore Ravens. It's a critical campaign for the trio of Chris Ballard, Shane Steichen, and Daniel Jones. The Colts may seriously regret parting with this first-round pick.

4. Miami Dolphins

Everyone expects the Miami Dolphins to compete for the No. 1 overall selection. It certainly appeared that way in Week 1, as they were blown out 27-13 by a Las Vegas Raiders squad that owned the top pick last draft. There were rare bright spots for these rebuilding Dolphins, such as rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas making franchise history by debuting with 94 receiving yards. Victories will be difficult to come by.

3. Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons already have serious concerns at quarterback. Michael Penix Jr. is still recovering from last year's season-ending ACL injury. They signed the oft-injured Tua Tagovailoa to compete this offseason, but he performed poorly at training camp, and missed Week 1 due to a back injury. The Falcons ended up starting Cooper Rush in the defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite having invested so much in the position in recent offseasons, the quarterback situation could totally derail Atlanta's season.

2. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans changed the entire coaching staff and spent more than $300 million in free agency, but they looked exactly like the three-win team they were in 2024 and 2025. It was a whimper of a 2026 debut for Robert Saleh, Brian Daboll, and Cam Ward. The Titans were totally outmatched by an average-at-best Jets team in every facet of the game. Unless this young team improves drastically, another top-five pick appears to be on the horizon.

1. Cleveland Browns

No Week 1 performance was more pitiful than the one put forth by the Cleveland Browns. Making matters worse, it was extremely predictable after they laughably named Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback. The Browns were the least competitive team in Week 1. They were embarrassed 34-10 by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it was 24-0 at halftime. Earning the No. 1 overall selection would arguably be best for Cleveland's long-term outlook, as they desperately need to replace Watson with a franchise quarterback.

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