What the 2026 NFL Draft lacks in quarterbacks, the 2027 version makes up for. That should be music to the Miami Dolphins‘ ears as they enter a rebuild and seemingly embrace the idea of pushing for next year’s No. 1 pick. The Dolphins agreed Tuesday to trade wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos for a trio of draft picks in a move that diminishes their 2026 season outlook but sets them up to select near the top of the board this year and next.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning will be there for the taking next April, quite possibly as the most highly regarded option of them all. Oregon star Dante Moore is also set to be NFL-bound. Expect Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby to build first-round buzz, too, while Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss continues to mold himself into an early target.
The Dolphins could have their pick of the litter. While they signed Malik Willis this offseason, it is far from a guarantee that he will flourish as a first-time starter, especially since they parted ways with many of his top weapons. Willis may just be the bridge to the next top draft pick who steps in as the hopeful franchise quarterback.
If Miami truly is in full-tank mode, though, it will have some steep competition for the No. 1 pick. A handful of other teams project to finish in the bottom tier of the standings this season and will be on the hunt for quarterback prospects of their own.
Here are the top five contenders for the first pick in the 2027 draft.
Miami Dolphins
Things in the Dolphins’ locker room became obviously untenable and prompted, not just a coaching change, but a complete overhaul of the team’s core. Jeff Hafley is in to lead a group that will be without most of its biggest names from the last handful of seasons — Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb and Minkah Fitzpatrick in addition to Waddle — and while he will of course attempt to lead his debut roster to as many wins as he can, the front office looks increasingly content with stacking up the losses.
Miami will load up on young talent this spring when it makes seven selections in the first three rounds of the draft. That is a fantastic development for the franchise’s long-term future but not the formula to win in 2026, especially when those newcomers are playing with a quarterback in Willis who, while widely regarded as the top signal-caller in this free agency class, has just six career starts to his name.
Arizona Cardinals
Following the release of Kyler Murray, the Arizona Cardinals will enter 2026 with Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback and Gardner Minshew as his backup. That group screams “short-term solution.” There are only one or two other teams in more obvious need of an early-round quarterback next year, and the Cardinals might find themselves at the front of that line if things go as poorly on the field as expected. The Cardinals are tied with the Dolphins for the lowest projected win total at 4.5, per FanDuel.
Playing in the vaunted NFC West is helpful to Arizona’s tanking cause. It is hard to envision them doing anything other than posting an 0-6 record in division games for the second consecutive year. They also enter the campaign with the NFL’s longest active losing streak at nine games. That is some serious tanking momentum.
New York Jets
Hats off to the New York Jets for putting together a coherent offseason plan. They appear poised to improve upon their three-win fiasco after overhauling the defense and trading for a bridge quarterback in Geno Smith. Of course, the bar is low. And while the floor should be higher for Aaron Glenn in Year 2, it is not as though the ceiling gained a whole lot of altitude.
A realistic expectation for the Jets is to go from being unbelievably terrible in 2025 to just plain bad this season. That should be enough to satisfy those who want proof of life while also guaranteeing prime position in what will be a crucial draft for this franchise. With a 35-year-old Smith running the offense on a one-year deal, it is abundantly clear the Jets are gearing up to take a quarterback next April. They can’t afford to miss again.
Cleveland Browns
It would not be an NFL offseason without an open competition in the Cleveland Browns‘ quarterback room. Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Deshaun Watson will all fight for the job in the coming months, and if last year’s experiment was any indication, it would be wise to expect that the man who opens the season in the lineup will not finish it as the starter. That sets the stage for the Browns to use yet another first-round pick on a quarterback in 2027.
They should be bad enough to take that quarterback in the opening stages of the first round, too. Even with a ferocious defense and a history-making edge rusher in Myles Garrett last season, this is a team that finished seven games under .500 and last in an underwhelming AFC North. Absent some sort of second-year breakout from Sanders or Gabriel, the Browns will be on the clock early in next offseason’s draft.
Las Vegas Raiders
Even after retaining Maxx Crosby and signing Tyler Linderbaum, the Las Vegas Raiders still do not quite have the personnel to pull themselves out of the basement. It is only a matter of time, though, with young offensive talent and projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza poised to inject promise into this franchise. The reality of starting a rookie quarterback is that the Raiders should remain in position to pick very early in 2027, so the hope is that Mendoza improves as the year progresses and gives them a bright outlook in Year 2 while simultaneously helping them acquire one last top draft pick.
Unlike their companions at the top of next year’s draft order, though, the Raiders will already have their man at quarterback. That opens the door for a potential value pick at another position of need.
