There is still plenty of football to be played in the 2025 NFL season. The league is entering Week 8, but it’s not too early for some bottom-feeder teams to be looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft.
With the opening seven weeks of the campaign in the books, many teams are still in play to land the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft. However, there are a quartet of teams that have better odds of securing that pick than the rest of the pack, as indicated by ESPN’s FPI, and those squads are the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.
Every one of those teams has a record of 1-6 or worse on the season, and the Jets are the lone winless club left at 0-7.
Let’s look at the situations of every one of those teams and evaluate why they’re in the positions they are to potentially land the first overall pick.
Tennessee Titans
It’s difficult not to point the finger partly at quarterback Cam Ward for the Titans’ struggles this season. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and plenty of people expected him to be a highly impactful signal-caller from the get-go, but a different story has played out.
Ward has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns to this point, and his completion percentage of 57.6 isn’t very pretty. He has also been sacked more times than any other quarterback in the NFL at 30 already.
The Titans have had trouble finding any rhythm on offense in more ways than one, as on top of Ward’s rocky rookie campaign, they’re averaging the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the league.
Some of these woes fall on the offensive line, and some are due to a lack of weapons. Tennessee has scored the fewest total points out of the NFL’s 32 teams, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why the worst offensive team in football finds itself at the very bottom of the AFC South at 1-6.
Unfortunately, the Titans, who also have one of the league’s worst defenses, have an upcoming schedule that is looking anything but easy. Their next two games are against the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers before their bye. Amid their struggles and a coaching change, the Titans have a lot of questions right now.
New Orleans Saints
New Orleans’ lone win of the season to this point came against the lowly New York Giants back on Oct. 5, and both sides of the ball have been a problem for the squad.
Opposing teams have been able to carve up the Saints’ defense like Swiss cheese, as the team is allowing 26.6 points per game. Only five teams league-wide have done worse jobs at preventing points. New Orleans’ defense was also on the wrong side of one of the highest-scoring games of the season, as it allowed the Seattle Seahawks to drop 44 points back in a September contest.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, while New Orleans has a young starting quarterback in Spencer Rattler who’s been solid at times, the offense doesn’t have enough playmakers.
Wide receiver Chris Olave has been a solid piece and is on track to exceed 1,000 receiving yards, but he’s found himself in trade rumors lately. Hence, it’s possible he’s no longer with the team after the November trade deadline.
However, a relatively light remaining schedule could still result in the Saints winning enough games to miss out on the No. 1 pick. Their remaining schedule ranks 24th out of 32 teams in terms of opponent winning percentage.
Miami Dolphins
Miami is easily the most talented team on this list. It boasts a highly talented and proven quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa, along with numerous other notable names on offense, including tight end Darren Waller, wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and running back De’Von Achane.
So, why are the Dolphins on the list?
Well, for starters, Miami’s longtime starting quarterback is enduring a nightmarish season throwing the ball. Tagovailoa has equaled a league-high 10 interceptions across his first seven starts and looks like a shell of the player who earned a Pro Bowl selection in the 2023 season.
Moreover, Miami’s best receiver in recent years, Hill, saw his season cut short after four appearances thanks to a devastating knee injury. Waddle has had some good games but hasn’t consistently stepped up in Hill’s absence to the extent Miami has needed him to, as he’s on the heels of totaling just 15 receiving yards against the Cleveland Browns.
Meanwhile, the team’s roster construction (a reflection of general manager Chris Grier) and coaching leadership (a reflection of head coach Mike McDaniel) have been called into question, adding to tensions.
We focused on the offense here, but don’t be mistaken: Miami also has one of the worst defenses in the NFL. There could be improvement on that end as the season continues, but a complete turnaround seems most unlikely due to personnel issues.
On offense, Tagovailoa is someone who could benefit quite a bit from a change of scenery, but if he sticks around and continues to do a poor job, Miami could be in the driver’s seat to nab the No. 1 pick.
New York Jets
If the season ended today, the 0-7 Jets would land the top pick. For as subpar as they have been over the last 15 years or so, none of those seasons have yielded a No. 1 overall pick. The last time New York picked first was all the way back in 1996, and it drafted former star wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
Though New York ranks near the bottom of the league in points scored and points allowed and has plenty of flaws, it’s been in more close games than one would maybe expect for a winless team. After all, while the Jets already have seven losses, five of them have come by seven points or fewer. New York has lost by just two points on three separate occasions as well.
Combine the number of tight contests the Jets have already been in with the fact that only three teams will have an easier schedule the rest of the way, and perhaps they shouldn’t be the overwhelming favorites to get the No. 1 pick like many people think.
What’s the verdict?
Ultimately, Ward will find his footing (to an extent) and Rattler will continue his solid sophomore season, and neither the Titans nor Saints will land the top pick. Additionally, the Jets will take advantage of their soft schedule moving forward and win four games on the season.
But Tagovailoa will stick around in Miami past the trade deadline and continue to be a lightning rod on the field and in the media room. He will finish the season as the league leader in interceptions, and his abysmal play will result in Miami winning just two or three games and landing the No. 1 pick.
Verdict: The Dolphins will be on the clock in April
