We’re inching closer to the vaunted 2027 draft class with each passing day. Now, at the halfway point of the season, we’re really starting to sift the wheat from the chaff. The big question everyone keeps asking, though, is how the quarterback class shakes out. Truthfully, it’s a question I kept asking myself even after reviewing all of their tape. The class is obviously incredibly talented, as you can see by the 10 quarterbacks included below, but are any worthy of the No. 1 overall pick?
While this won’t be the answer you want to hear, it’s the honest truth: maybe. Two quarterbacks have started the early season on No. 1 pick trajectories, with a few others within realistic striking distance. The good news is that, with conference play now in full swing, the second half of the season through the playoffs is when the cupcakes fade away, and the real prospect evaluations start to heat up.
If you’ve seen him play, no explanation is necessary. If you haven’t, no explanation will suffice. His current 12-game pace will put him in the single-season top-10 for both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. And with the very likely chance that Ohio State plays more than 12 games, Smith is a real threat to challenge both records.
Moore missed last weekend’s game with a concussion, but prior to that, he picked up where he left off as the best corner in the country. In fact, he’s giving up only a half a yard per coverage snap this season after giving up only a half a yard per coverage snap all last season. It doesn’t matter what scheme you run, Moore’s well-rounded skill set will fit your defense.
Stewart has not quite figured it all out yet, but has a tier-1 physical skill set when it comes to rushing the passer in the NFL. The latter matters far more than the former at defensive end. He doesn’t need too many moves to be a high-end impact pass-rusher as we just saw against Florida. After some hiccups in Week 1 against Tulsa, where Mestemaker was obviously a little juiced up, Mestemaker has been the best quarterback in college football the past five weeks. Over that span, he’s averaged 11.1 yards per attempt with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions – burying a loaded Oregon defense in the process. His ability to deliver strikes downfield with defensive linemen bearing down on him is unparalleled in the draft class. While he hasn’t played much football, that’s a selling point, given how poised his tape already is.
Simmons is a speed rusher who wants to threaten the upfield shoulder of opposing offensive tackles. That juice has led to an FBS-leading 9.5 sacks this season. He may be undersized, but his tape against the run shows an every-down edge in the NFL.
Gilliam’s breakout season reminds me a little of Byron Murphy’s back in 2023. Not only because they share similar body types and athletic ability, but also because they went from unheralded prospects to superstars seemingly overnight. Gilliam has been an absolute handful this season – even in the past three weeks of SEC play. His low center of gravity combined with tremendous bend and explosiveness makes him nearly impossible to keep out of the backfield.
Hampton is one of those cornerbacks where you don’t need to watch too many plays to realize he has the goods. 6-foot-2, 205-pound corners are not supposed to move as fluidly as he does. In five games this season, Hampton already has 10 forced incompletions – including two vs. Miami’s Malachi Toney. That’s the kind of ball production you want to see from a top-flight corner prospect.
Goosby started the season with a minor knee injury, although it hasn’t altered his high level of play much. Goosby has yet to allow a sack all season with only seven pressures allowed on 181 pass-blocking snaps so far. At every bit of 6-foot-7, Goosby is a massive tackle to try to get around.
Becker is a special deep threat for three big reasons. The first is, as with any deep threat, his speed. He’s a former state champion hurdler, and when he gets up to top speed, corners are left grasping for air. The second is his size at 6-foot-4, 208 pounds, which helps him go over the top of defensive backs. The final one is his ball-tracking, which is as good as any prospect in recent memory. In fact, it’s very difficult to get better, as he’s never dropped a pass in 65 career opportunities. Size, speed, and hands – sign me up. While Carr has yet to face a real test on his schedule (Notre Dame’s highest-ranked opponent in FPI has been Wisconsin at 37th), the third-year quarterback has passed every test with flying colors. He just isn’t missing throws, with a 70.8 completion percentage on the season and a 10.0 average depth of target. That’s slinging it.
Seaton is one heck of an athlete who looks like it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a shutdown pass-protector at the NFL level. With him, it’s really all about when his play strength can improve to the point where he can consistently anchor against power, as that’s been the biggest issue for him in SEC play.
Pieper is a stupidly good athlete who’s been playing out of position his whole collegiate career at right guard. Even so, he’s still getting the job done at a high level. In schemes that like to get their center out on the move, Pieper is the absolute perfect fit.
Ask LSU’s offensive line about Echoles and they might tell you he should go #1 overall. The third-year defensive tackle took over that game earlier this year with seven pressures, flashing a pass-rushing skill set we’ve been waiting to see. Everyone knew him already as one of college football’s best run defenders, but if he has more games like that in the SEC, he’ll push his way into the top-10.
Johnson has not only been exceptional at guard this season, but he’s also been the ultimate team player and kicked inside to center for the injured Ashton Beers. At 6-foot-6, that’s definitely not going to be his best position in the NFL, but he’s held his own there all the same. Johnson has allowed only one pressure on 201 pass-blocking snaps this season.
Thompkins has looked like a different player entirely this season at Alabama than he did at USC. His blend of power and agility at 6-foot-5 and nearly 300 pounds gives him a lot of ways to win as a pass-rusher. The crazy thing is, at that size, he’s doing it off the edge. You don’t see many ends that size in the league anymore, but he’s looked far more comfortable there than he did playing primarily inside at USC before he transferred. Cole is this year’s version of Sonny Styles. An off-ball linebacker athlete almost too spectacular to believe. At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Cole moves in space like a cornerback. He’s one of the most impressive linebackers I’ve ever seen closing to ball carriers in space. Heading into this season, I thought Cole’s long frame belonged on the edge rushing the passer, but now I want him running the seams and shutting down screens.
Coleman has always teased high-end potential, but even after transferring from Auburn to Texas has still yet to put it all together as a full-tree route-runner. While that’s usually worrying for a draft-eligible prospect, I’m willing to overlook it with Coleman for two big reasons. The first is that he only just turned 20 in August, as he’s one of the youngest draft-eligible players in the country. The second is that there’s nothing about him physically that says he can’t run a full route tree; we just haven’t seen it yet consistently.
Heldt is a relentless pass-rusher who only seems to keep improving week-to-week and year-to-year. He’s racked up 16 pressures over the past three weeks, as he is outstanding at getting to edges on offensive linemen, then finishing through contact. I think the arrow is only pointed up for Heldt going forward.
Baugh has prototypical size and prototypical speed. That’s a good combo for a running back. He is a load to bring down for opposing defenses, with already 38 broken tackles in six games this season.
Heard is the single biggest butt-kicker in the offensive tackle class. If you need a short-yardage conversion, I’m drawing up something that runs behind him. That’s been known since he was in high school, though. The biggest change this year has been in pass protection, where he’s far more patient and trusts his punch to get the job done. He’s yet to allow a single sack or hit so far.
Manning makes a handful of throws every week that conjure up visions of a franchise quarterback. He also makes a handful of plays every week that would terrify you to draft him in such a range. Until he puts together some true knockout performances against the best in college football, it will be hard to buy into Arch completely. Chambliss is one quarterback who doesn’t need to prove he’ll show up to big games. In just over a year as the starter for Ole Miss, he’s proven that wholesale. The worry is what it will look like in the NFL and what his ceiling will be at just a shade under 6 feet tall.
I usually don’t go for the massive, possession-focused receivers, but Duff is changing my mind. That’s because he’s not a big-bodied power-forward playing receiver – Duff can get vertical. He’s hauled in five deep passes for 292 yards already in five games this season. Every opposing defense knows Rutgers is force-feeding Duff and they still can’t stop him.
The former five-star recruit has looked as much this fall. He’s allowed only four first downs on 19 targets. His ability to play physically at the catch point for a corner listed at only 180 pounds is special.
Johnson doesn’t have Sadiq’s athleticism, but Sadiq didn’t have Johnson’s frame. The 6-foot-5, 255-pounder is a big dude. His ability to pluck the ball outside of his frame has all the makings of a special red zone threat.
UCLA’s defense has been a force to be reckoned with and the James Madison transfer is a big reason why. He’s been bullying opposing linemen all season with heavy hands at 279 pounds. His ability to play inside and outside will be coveted in the NFL.
Jones has athletic limitations, but every 6-foot-4 corner is going to. Unfortunately, he’s been asked to play far more off-coverage than he did a year ago, which is not going to be his forte. When Jones can get his hands on receivers at the line of scrimmage, however, there aren’t many receivers in college football that are going to run effective routes against him. Boswell transferred from Toledo to Houston and has only gotten more dominant on tape. I love how consistent he is with his technique, given that he’s only a redshirt sophomore. You won’t see him lose ugly very often on tape because he won’t put himself in bad positions.
Traore has a lab-built edge frame with explosiveness to run through opposing tackles. He’s also looked far more consistent with his pass-rushing plan this fall than he did returning from an ACL tear in 2025. He’s the kind of athlete defensive line coaches will relish the chance to develop in the NFL.
I’ve been very impressed with Green’s physicality post-catch this season before going down with a sprained knee. Last fall, he looked like a basketball player (which he was for LSU in 2024-2025), and this fall, he looks much closer to a tight end. He still needs to pack on some more muscle to be an effective blocker. If he does that, he could be a unicorn.
Nichols has been walking back tackles left and right this season. At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Nichols is already one of college football’s best bull-rushers. You see a player on tape who knows how to set up offensive linemen with his approach and then how to counter. Unfortunately, he got injured early in the Iowa game a couple of weeks ago, but when he was at full strength, he looked like a first-rounder.
Gadson’s tape was one of the more difficult ones for me to slot on this list. On the one hand, his production has been very mediocre this season. On the other hand, he has some traits that I absolutely love for a defensive lineman. The biggest one being the violence in his hands. He puts everything he has into his punches and sheds. It’s beautiful to watch. So while it hasn’t translated to the box score just yet, I believe his athletic ability will in time.
Link took his lumps back as a redshirt freshman in 2024, then missed the second half of 2025 with a knee injury before returning in dominant form this fall. He’s been blanking opposing pass-rushers all season with only one pressure allowed on 111 pass-blocking snaps. He mirrors speed exceptionally well and his anchor has improved considerably over the course of his career. Washington has still never quite made the leap from freak athlete to dominant defensive tackle. The flashes are still spectacular, however, and I wouldn’t be surprised whatsoever if he still ends up in Round 1 at such a traits-driven position.
I am a big fan of what Prongos has put on tape in pass protection this season since returning from injury. You can still tell he’s relatively new to the game after only starting his senior year of high school, but the traits to lock down edge-rushers are special.
You want a tone-setter at off-ball linebacker – this is your man. He reminds me a little stylistically of Frankie Luvu in that he’s going to play 100 miles an hour, destroy blocks, and can even moonlight as an edge-rusher. A lot of modern hybrid front sevens will love his skillset.
Greene earned the starting left tackle spot as a redshirt freshman way back in 2023. At Georgia, that usually means a first-round draft pick. That didn’t come to fruition as his struggles there necessitated a flip to the right side in 2025 in favor of Monroe Freeling. Now he’s back to left tackle with renewed vigor and is throwing defenders around. He’s playing with a different caliber of power than we saw from him in years past. While I think his future is at guard, not tackle, it’s a bright future nonetheless.
Lauck isn’t the overpowering presence of some of the tackles in front of him on this list, but he’s got great feet and hands to execute a myriad of blocks. He’s only allowed three pressures on 163 pass-blocking snaps this season.
Reynolds was a backup last season at Penn State, but even in a limited role showed obvious receiving chops. Now after following James Franklin to Virginia Tech, he’s the most utilized tight end in the country. He’s caught 41 balls in six games for 437 yards and four scores. Stone is a versatile defensive tackle who can win with either speed or power. I just wish he won more consistently with technique. He’s such an imposing specimen that if his hands improve, he can be a three-down player.
I don’t know how you even begin to block someone who moves as Lockett does at 6-foot-6, 355 pounds. My guess would be to pray he’s late off the snap because when he times it up well, he sends offensive linemen backward. His feet are special for that size and can make an impact as both a run defender and pass-rusher.
Swain is stuck playing a ton of off-zone this season when man-match is more his bread and butter. That’s not a huge deal as he’s still a superb athlete gliding through assignments from depth. I also love that he’s still been dangerous as ever returning punts. After three punt return scores a year ago, Swain is averaging 16.2 yards per return with eight broken tackles on 12 attempts.
Faison doesn’t look the part of a top receiver prospect. He’s got an undersized frame with mediocre deep speed. Watch him run routes and barrel into defenders after the catch, however, and you’ll see why I put him here. He’s a ready-made slot receiver in the NFL with reliable hands and toughness to work the middle of the field.
There’s no player on Penn State’s roster happier about Matt Campbell’s arrival this season than Collins (heck, he might be the only person happy about it at the moment). Collins has almost matched his snap total from a year ago in press coverage and is thriving because of it. He’s ridiculously physical at the line of scrimmage with speed to track downfield as well. He’s only allowed two catches for seven yards all season.
Because this is specifically for the 2027 draft, I left numerous players off this list entirely who have missed significant time or will miss the entire season and debated doing the same with Moore. Ultimately, that seemed like too much of a headache to explain away with Moore, so I left him here as a placeholder until he returns from his gruesome head injury. He still needs to play better under pressure when he returns, as he has as many sacks as completions when pressured this season. Hardy hasn’t played a down this season after being shot this offseason. He was a preseason top-25 player, and I put him down here with Dante Moore as a placeholder until we see him play again. The good news is he just started practicing again this week with the intention to be ready after Missouri’s bye.
After a breakout 2025 campaign, Pierre has not taken much of a meaningful next step this fall. He’s an obvious NFL edge athlete who’ll get every chance to succeed or fail there, but his pass-rushing chops need great improvement for him to go early.
Cheeks may not have the prototypical length of an NFL edge-rusher, but man, he knows how to get after opposing quarterbacks. He reminds me a lot of Mike Green coming out of Marshall in his ability to get skinny around the edges of offensive linemen. He’s beaten up every tackle he’s faced so far this season even though that type of game gets more difficult to execute against NFL tackles..
Paige blocks out the sun on the left side of the USC offensive line. He’s every bit of his listed 6-foot-7, 315 pounds. At that size, though, he’s incredibly light on his feet. It’s easily his biggest selling point. You see it on stunts as he has no problem adjusting from one assignment to the next. He’s a big-time ascending prospect who could make his way into round one if this continues through Big 10 play.
I might be getting ahead of myself with this ranking as Lopa has only four career starts under his belt, but I’m only writing up the top-50 and wanted to give my thoughts on him nonetheless. The ease with which he moves at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds is, dare I say, Kyle Hamilton-esque (no, I don’t say that about every 6-foot-2+ safety). The leeway that kind of frame affords you at the NFL level is massive and it’s what makes Hamilton such a unicorn. Again, it’s four games. But in those four games, he had five picks, with only one being a true layup. I can’t wait to see how he caps off the season when he returns from a concussion that’s kept him out a couple of weeks.
51. Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss 101. TJ Dottery, LB, LSU 1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
2. Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
3. Dylan Stewart, EDGE, South Carolina
4. Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
5. Collin Simmons, EDGE, Texas
6. Xavier Gilliam, DT, Tennessee
7. Ashton Hampton, CB, Clemson
8. Trevor Goosby, OT, Texas
9. Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana
10. CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
11. Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU
12. Kade Pieper, IOL, Iowa
13. Will Echoles, DT, Ole Miss
14. Greg Johnson, IOL, Minnesota
15. Devan Thompkins, EDGE, Alabama
16. Chris Cole, LB, Georgia
17. Cam Coleman, WR, Texas
18. Will Heldt, EDGE, Clemson
19. Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida
20. Lance Heard, OT, Kentucky
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21. Arch Manning, QB, Texas
22. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss
23. KJ Duff, WR, Rutgers
24. Ellis Robinson IV, CB, Georgia
25. Jamari Johnson, TE, Oregon
26. Sahir West, EDGE, UCLA
27. Kelley Jones, CB, Mississippi State
28. Anthony Boswell, IOL, Houston
29. Boubacar Traore, EDGE, Notre Dame
30. Trey’Dez Green, TE, LSU
31. Dom Nichols, EDGE, Michigan
32. Tavion Gadson, DT, Kentucky
33. Evan Link, OT, Michigan
34. A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon
35. Niki Prongos, OT, Stanford
36. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB, Notre Dame
37. Earnest Greene III, IOL, Georgia
38. Trevor Lauck, OT, Iowa
39. Luke Reynolds, TE, Virginia Tech
40. David Stone, DT, Oklahoma
41. Horace Lockett, DT, UCF
42. Vicari Swain, CB, South Carolina
43. Jordan Faison, WR, Notre Dame
44. Audavion Collins, CB, Penn State
45. Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
46. Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri
47. Yhonzae Pierre, EDGE, Alabama
48. Sebastian Cheeks, EDGE, Wisconsin
49. Elijah Paige, OT, USC
50. Kingston Lopa, S, Cal
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51-100
52. Jesse Perry, IOL, Tennessee
53. Bear Alexander, DT, Oregon
54. Xavier Atkins, LB, Auburn
55. Jaylen McClain, S, Ohio State
56. Jalen Mayo, CB, Houston
57. Ty Benefield, S, LSU
58. Tony Rojas, LB, Penn State
59. Deuce Alexander, WR, Ole Miss
60. Kameryn Crawford, EDGE, USC
61. Jayden Maiava, QB, Duke
62. Nick Marsh, WR, Indiana
63. Jelani McDonald, S, Texas
64. Wyatt Young, WR, Oklahoma State
65. Lawson Luckie, TE, Georgia
66. Melvin Siani, OT, Texas
67. Terrance Carter Jr., TE, Texas Tech
68. Nate Frazier, RB, Georgia
69. Sammy Brown, LB, Clemson
70. Austin Siereveld, IOL, Ohio State
71. Francis Brewu, DT, Notre Dame
72. Luke Montgomery, IOL, Ohio State
73. Suntarine Perkins, LB, Ole Miss
74. John Nestor, S, Minnesota
75. Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State
76. Junior Sherrill, WR, Vanderbilt
77. Matayo Uiagalelei, EDGE, Oregon
78. Andrew Marshall, CB, Nebraska
79. Cayden Green, OT, Missouri
80. AJ Holmes, DT, Texas Tech
81. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami
82. Ahmad Moten Sr., DT, Miami
83. Anthonie Knapp, IOL, Notre Dame
84. Wayshawn Parker, RB, Utah
85. Justin Scott, DT, Miami
86. Kenyatta Jackson, EDGE, Ohio State
87. Bray Hubbard, S, Alabama
88. Jordan Ross, EDGE, LSU
89. Clev Lubin, EDGE, Louisville
90. Ian Moore, OT, Ohio State
91. Marquise Lightfoot, EDGE, Miami
92. Walker Eget, QB, Duke
93. Zereoue Williams, OT, Utah
94. Jyaire Hill, CB, Michigan
95. Mario Craver, WR, Texas A&M
96. Carlos Hernandez, WR, Wake Forest
97. Mark Fletcher Jr., RB, Miami
98. Coleton Price, IOL, Kentucky
99. Carter Smith, IOL, Indiana
100. Austin Simmons, QB, Missouri101-150
102. Jordan Norman, EDGE, Tennessee
103. Drew Azzopardi, OT, Washington
104. Leroy Jackson, DT, North Carolina
105. Sammy Omosigho, LB, UCLA
106. Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR, Alabama
107. KJ Bolden, S, Georgia
108. Carter Smith, IOL, Indiana
109. Alex McLaughlin, S, Washington
110. Zach Lutmer, S, Iowa
111. Faletau Satuala, S, BYU
112. Zabien Brown, CB, Alabama
113. Chris Marshall, WR, Arkansas
114. Collin Dixon, WR, Illinois
115. Myles Graham, LB, Florida
116. Wilkin Formby, IOL, Texas A&M
117. Evan Johnson, CB, BYU
118. Cade Uluavu, LB, BYU
119. Evan Tengesdahl, IOL, Cincinnati
120. Leroy Harris, EDGE, Kansas
121. Lanorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
122. Jayden Jackson, DT, Oklahoma
123. Peter Clarke, TE, Temple
124. Paki Finau, OT, BYU
125. Makilan Thomas, IOL, Virginia
126. Kemari Copeland, DT, Virginia Tech
127. Rocky Beers, TE, Oklahoma
128. Cody Sigler, DT, Auburn
129. Ben Murawski, OT, Michigan State
130. Anthony Evans III, WR, Mississippi State
131. Samson Okunlola, OT, Miami
132. Griffin Wilde, WR, Northwestern
133. Justin Okoronkwo, LB, South Carolina
134. Tawfiq Thomas, DT, Georgia Tech
135. Iapani Laloulu, IOL, Oregon
136. Jahiem Lawson, EDGE, Clemson
137. Princewill Umanmielen, EDGE, Northwestern
138. Kayin Lee, CB, Tennessee
139. Marques Easley, IOL, Purdue
140. Tony Diaz, WR, Iowa
141. Jaray Bledsoe, DT, Mississippi State
142. Danny Okoye, EDGE, Oklahoma
143. Ify Obidegwu, CB, Oregon
144. Mike Matthews, WR, Tennessee
145. Ben Roberts, DT, Michigan State
146. Jacarrius Peak, OT, South Carolina
147. Isaac Brown, RB, Louisville
148. Jeremiah Hasley, TE, Duke
149. Amare Thomas, WR, Houston
150. Hero Kanu, DT, Texas
