Welcome to the 2027 NFL Draft conversation!
Let’s see, we’ve got a few teams already straggling in, so let’s take attendance.
Ah, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans, looks like you’ve both been camping out since the last draft cycle. Good to see you getting an early start!
Excuse me! Hi, yes, you three. Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, am I right? Yep, this is the right room. I know, it’s a bit of a shock, but that’s what I’m here for. Grab a seat and we’ll get started.
2027 NFL DRAFT RANKINGS
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | Interior OL | Edge | Interior DL | LB | CB | S
Team Needs | Top 100 Big Board
Now that we’ve got more than a month of football in the books to start the 2026 season, here are some things I’m seeing across the country as we look ahead to the 2027 NFL Draft:
QB Class More Quantity Than Quality
Throughout the 2025 draft process, we heard a familiar refrain from those who complained about the lackluster quarterback class: “Don’t worry, next year’s class will be loaded.” Fast forward to present day, and we’ve yet to see any of this year’s top prospects at the position truly establish themselves as legit contenders for the No. 1 overall pick.
Arch Manning and Dante Moore have both struggled with consistency, leaving the top spot in the class wide open. LaNorris Sellers is another prospect who came into the season with high hopes of exponential growth, but all we’ve gotten is more of the same in terms of his wild variance in play.
That said, there’s still strength to be found in this class, but it comes from the sheer depth of the group rather than any truly elite talent at the top. While Manning and others have disappointed so far this season, we’ve seen a ton of other draft-eligible quarterbacks look like they’re capable of being quality starters at the next level. Darian Mensah, Trinidad Chambliss, CJ Carr and Drew Mestemaker have all looked like potential first-rounders, while Julian Sayin, Jayden Maiava and Drake Lindsey could be strong Day 2 possibilities. We’ll get to my favorite fast-rising signal-caller, Missouri’s Austin Simmons, in a minute.
So yeah, this group might not have the superstar power we expected months ago, and it could lead to this being the rare year where a quarterback doesn’t go No. 1 overall (especially with a worthy candidate like Jeremiah Smith on the board). But I still see the potential for a ton of successful starters to come out of his group, no matter where they end up going on draft weekend.
How Does Dylan Stewart’s Suspension Impact His Draft Stock?
One of the biggest storylines in the draft world last week was Stewart being suspended indefinitely by South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer following a series of unfortunate events on the field in the Gamecocks’ blowout loss against Alabama. Stewart appeared to take issue with coaches subbing him out of the game, and eventually threw a punch at a Crimson Tide player.
Speaking to reporters this week, Beamer didn’t have any changes to update regarding Stewart’s status with the team:
So, what does this mean for a player who was a mainstay in the top 10 of every mock draft on the planet going back to the start of this draft cycle? It’s obviously going to be a red flag for certain NFL teams, but no all “character concerns” are created equal. This situation isn’t anything criminal in nature, and while it’s disappointing to see (and will cost him some valuable opportunities to put more reps on his tape), I don’t think the league will react drastically in terms of his evaluation for issues that seem to boil down to maturity.
If anything, maybe this gives Stewart an opportunity to learn and grow in a way that will help him make a smoother transition to the next level. We already know the physical traits and upside he brings to the table, and he does it at a premium position that will always be highly valued on draft weekend. No matter how much time he misses this season, I still won’t be surprised if he ends up being a top-10 pick when April rolls around.
Heard is the Word
Sometimes, all it takes is one play to put a guy on my “favorite prospects in this class” list. Whether it’s Peter Warrick’s joystick touchdown run against Louisiana Tech, Lavonte David plowing through a block to stone Denard Robinson near the goal line, Greg Jones throwing a UNC defender into a blocker and separating him from his helmet, or D’Angelo Ponds beating Denzel Boston at the catch point and tipping a pick to himself, sometimes one moment is enough.
My sincere thanks to Kentucky offensive tackle Lance Heard for giving me one of those moments last weekend against South Carolina, when he absolutely obliterated multiple defenders on one play:
My early looks at Heard’s film show plenty of room for growth as a pass protector, and his overall balance, technique and consistency still need some improvement. But you can’t teach the physicality, nastiness and effort be brings to the table, and that one rep checks all of those boxes.
I’m sure plenty of scouts around the league joined me this week in circling that rep as one that will make the “stand on the table” case for Heard on draft weekend.
All Aboard the Austin Simmons Hype Train
I mentioned Simmons briefly above, and wrote about his rising draft stock after another impressive performance in Saturday’s blowout win over Florida, but I’m gonna bring him up again because he might be the most intriguing quarterback prospect in this year’s extremely deep class.
After losing the starting job at Ole Miss to Chambliss, Simmons continues to prove himself as one of the top passers in the country, showing off all the physical traits, mental prowess, and intangibles that make successful starters at the next level:
He’s big, strong, athletic, smart, and clearly isn’t daunted by adversity or top competition. I know the first-round conversation is already stocked with a ton of quarterbacks, but after we’ve I’ve seen from Simmons so far this year, he absolutely deserves to join the party. He’s got some big tests ahead on the schedule (No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Georgia), which will give scouts even more valuable film to break down, but I love what I’m seeing from him so far.
If he continues to impress against more tough opponents, it’ll be impossible to keep him out of the debate when it comes to the top quarterback prospect in the class, even with all the big names involved.
More NFL Draft Notes
- One of the things I was rooting for the most this season was a bounce-back campaign from Alabama WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, and it looks like that’s what we’re getting. He only caught three passes for 43 yards in last week’s dominant win over Mississippi State, but one of them was a touchdown, and another was an impressive leaping grab on a back-shoulder throw while working against one of the top corner prospects in the class (Kelley Jones). I hope he continues to weed out the head-scratching drops, and we see a more polished and consistent version of the dynamic playmaker we saw during his freshman season.
- Speaking of Jones, I’m a huge fan of the second tier of this cornerback class. Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore is obviously in a class by himself, but there are a handful of others who are strong first-round candidates with CB1 potential. Jones is among them, with his rare size and length, while Clemson’s Ashton Hampton checks many of the same boxes and just shut down Miami superstar Malachi Toney. Georgia’s Ellis Robinson IV doesn’t have the same physical traits, but he makes up for it with fluidity, ball skills and competitiveness. If your favorite NFL team needs at corner at the top of the draft in 2027, they should have plenty of strong options.
- There was plenty of buzz coming into the year about Omarion Miller, but it’s the other Arizona State wide receiver who has caught my eye over the past few weeks. Reed Harris is a towering target at 6-5, 220 pounds, and he’s on pace for a 1,000-yard season and double-digit touchdowns while averaging just over 19 yards per catch so far this season. If he keeps this up, Harris could find himself joining the first-round conversation and pushing guys like Coleman-Williams and Nick Marsh to be the next pass-catcher off the board after Jeremiah Smith, Cam Coleman and Charlie Becker.
- I’m a sucker for an undersized prospect who just gets the job done, and while it was at the expense of my alma mater a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t help but be impressed by Bowling Green edge rusher Myles Bradley. After bagging a sack against Nebraska the week before, he racked up 4.5 of them against my USF Bulls, then grabbed another this past week against Miami (OH). He’s listed at 6-0 and 230 pounds, which is obviously tiny for an NFL edge player, but this dude clearly knows how to get to the quarterback, and the tape shows that he can do it in multiple ways. BGSU might be 1-4, but this guy can ball.
