With most of Week 9 wrapped up, the early shape of the 2027 NFL Draft is starting to come into focus. It’s still far off, but the top of the board is already looking messy, and a few of the league’s worst teams are making that picture pretty clear.
The biggest thing to watch at the top is that some first-round picks no longer belong to the teams currently holding them, which could make the opening round a little more chaotic than usual. For now, though, here’s how the top five stands after the bulk of Week 9 action.
- Los Angeles Chargers (0-8)
The Chargers remain the only winless team in the league, and that alone tells you where things stand. Change feels unavoidable at this point.
Justin Herbert is still viewed as a franchise quarterback by some, but this season has been rough, and he’s been playing like a broken QB. If Los Angeles ended up with the No. 1 pick in April, it would be hard to imagine Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith not going first.
- Tennessee Titans (1-7)
Tennessee was on bye in Week 9, but the record speaks for itself. This is not a good team, and the head coaching decision already looks questionable.
Unless Cam Ward catches fire over the second half of the season, quarterback would be very much in play if the Titans are sitting at No. 2.
- Miami Dolphins (1-7)
Miami’s rebuild is no secret, so the record isn’t exactly surprising. The Dolphins still need help at quarterback, since Malik Willis profiles more as a high-end backup than a long-term answer. Even so, this group does seem to compete, and first-year head coach Jeff Hafley has given the team some edge.
- New York Jets, via IND (2-7)
This pick belongs to the Jets by way of Indianapolis, and the Colts’ season has already gone off the rails at 2-7. The Jets aren’t exactly in a strong place themselves, but the Colts should be looking hard at selling aggressively on Monday and Tuesday and adding as many future picks as they can.
- Philadelphia Eagles (2-7)
The Eagles are also sitting at 2-7, and the seven-game losing streak makes the situation even uglier. This roster looks like it needs a reset, especially with several key players from the Super Bowl window now aging and past their best years. When the draft arrives, just about every position should be under consideration as Philadelphia looks for an infusion of talent across the board.
In Other News...
Texans Exposed A Chargers Problem Jim Harbaugh Still Hasn't Fixed
The Chargers offense has been stuck in a stretch that has gone far beyond a bad afternoon or even a bad month. Since October, the unit has been unable to find the end zone with any consistency, and the numbers around it are just as ugly, with Los Angeles sitting last in several key offensive categories. Protection has been shaky, turnovers have piled up, and the overall result has been an attack that too often never gets into rhythm.
Jim Harbaugh has acknowledged the problem and said the staff is taking a hard look at every part of the offense to figure out what can be fixed. For a team trying to stay afloat, the concern is no longer just whether the Chargers can score, but how long they can keep searching for answers before the season starts slipping away from them. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert Trade Buzz Just Put Chargers Fans In A Wild Spot
A little quarterback chatter has a way of setting off alarm bells in Los Angeles, and this latest round of speculation has done exactly that. NFL reporter Albert Breer floated the idea that the Vikings should at least ask about Justin Herbert, a notion that instantly puts one of the leagues most recognizable passers into a very different kind of conversation than Chargers fans are used to hearing.
For now, though, the reality around the Chargers has not changed. Team officials have made it clear Herbert is not available and remains the franchise quarterback, which is why this story lives firmly in the realm of speculation rather than anything approaching a real transaction. Still, any mention of Herbert in trade talk is enough to make the temperature rise, because even the suggestion of a deal involving a player of his stature forces the same question every time: what would it even take? [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Hit A Trade Deadline Crossroads After Their 0-8 Collapse
An 0-8 start has put the Chargers in an uncomfortable spot, with general manager Joe Hortiz now weighing what the roster should look like as the trade deadline approaches. The season has reached the point where every move carries extra meaning, because the front office has to balance the present against whatever comes next.
Veteran pieces are naturally part of that conversation, and the pressure only grows when a team is this deep into a collapse. For Los Angeles, the question is no longer just how to salvage the year, but whether standing pat or making a deal says something about the direction of the franchise beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]