There are always signs of what’s to come in the NFL. Knowing where to look is the cheat code.

The 2027 NFL Draft class is stacked. Incredible players with No. 1 pick potential at multiple positions are chasing Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who is tasked with the heavy burden of carrying on his family legacy.

Peeking back at the 2025 preseason, there were obvious cracks in the plan devised by the Raiders to give a rejuvenated Pete Carroll and last-chance (or not) quarterback Geno Smith a chance at reviving the franchise that wound up with the top pick in the 2026 draft. The same is true of the Jets, who were trying again to resuscitate Justin Fields before disarming the defense in the midst of a run of failures and injuries. Arizona? Tennessee? The Giants? Yeah, we guessed they’d be this bad.

The easiest way to make the list is doubt or a complete lack of clarity at the quarterback position.

Fast forward to the present, and it’s rather easy to project failures in team-building — or large-scale rebuilding efforts to clean up the mess of a prior regime — to cast these teams as the best candidates to be drafting at the top in 2027.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have an absolutely barren roster built on extremely limited foundational pieces. While they made a couple splash additions in free agency, including bridge quarterback and former Packers backup Malik Willis, they’re mostly primed for a rebuild. If Willis is not able to elevate the team above the sum of its shaky parts, the Dolphins could be a prime candidate for the first overall pick in the 2027 draft. The question becomes if they give up on Willis immediately or take one of the blue-chip edge rushers or receivers this class has on hand.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are currently rolling out either a third-round rookie, Gardner Minshew, or Jacoby Brissett to start on week one, none of whom are particularly inspiring options. Ossenfort has been questioned about his ability to put foundational pieces together in the later rounds, and his big-time selection, Marvin Harrison Jr., has so far been a bit of a disappointment. It would not shock me if the Cardinals went into full tank mode under Mike LaFleur, cleaned house in the front office, and went into the next season with a new quarterback taken with the number one pick.

Cleveland Browns

You can blow smoke all you want that Deshaun Watson is back in pre-suspension form, but it’s hard to believe that the Browns will be a competent team with him at the helm, both from a morale and a pure play standpoint. The team does not seem committed to either of their sophomore players, and even if you wanted to try giving Taylen Green the reins, that seems like a long-term play and not a day-one option. More than likely, there will be too many cooks in the kitchen and the Browns will just lose out as much as possible. Here’s hoping the future is brighter for them.

Atlanta Falcons

While Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa are competent enough quarterbacks, their list of injuries combined is longer than a CVS receipt. If both of them bite the injury bug, their defense is not going to be able to drag them to more than a few wins, which could result in them obtaining the number one pick. Their whole offense could use a revamp, so this might not be the worst for them, but it would be a mild surprise considering the perceived weakness of the NFC South for the last several seasons.