The 2027 NFL Draft is going to be an absolute war at the top. Arch Manning, Dante Moore, and Jeremiah Smith are the names dominating early mock drafts, and one team is already positioning to trade up for the No. 1 pick.
Manning is the biggest story in college football, period. The Texas quarterback has all the tools you want, the family lineage, and now the pressure of an entire nation watching to see if he lives up to the name.
Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State might be the best overall prospect regardless of position. NFL scouts have been comparing him to Ja’Marr Chase, and that is not the kind of praise anyone throws around casually.
Dante Moore is the wildcard. The Oregon quarterback transferred from UCLA and has looked like a completely different player in Dan Lanning’s system. If he keeps this up, he could be QB1 in a class where Arch is supposed to be untouchable.
The top of this draft is going to be quarterback-heavy no matter which way you slice it. Multiple teams are already sending scouts to Big Ten and SEC games with a very specific mission of figuring out which QB deserves the top pick.
Charlie Becker at Indiana is another name generating buzz. The wide receiver had a monster preseason and could be a Day 1 pick if his production translates when the games actually matter.
The defensive side of the ball is loaded with edge rushers. Oregon’s A’Mauri Washington is viewed as a top-40 player in the class and his stock is only going up with early-season production.
Payton Pierce at Ohio State is a breakout candidate to watch. He was buried on the depth chart last year but should get significant snaps this season and scouts are watching to see if the natural talent translates.
The 2027 draft is shaping up to be one of those rare classes where multiple star prospects are on the board at once. Teams tanking for Arch Manning should probably start now because the competition is going to be brutal.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
