This is a listing of the players that appear most likely to be selected in round one of the 2027 NFL Draft, sorted by position in order of likelihood. Note that many of these players have remaining NCAA eligibility beyond the 2026 season and may opt to stay in college for 2027.
I've now updated all of the listings to include the NCAA Year (out of five), though that's particularly important for QBs.
Mestemaker is 20. He had zero career varsity starts at quarterback in high school or college prior to August 2025. There's no modern precedent for this, but scouts are raving about Mestemaker. If you saw this happen in a video game, it would break your suspension of disbelief. Only this is real.
Off to a monster start for Miami, Mensah is playing remarkably well in 2026. Another success story for the Hurricanes and their finishing school for exceptional quarterback prospects.
Carr, like Mestemaker, has two years of NCAA eligibility remaining beyond the 2026 season. Tremendous accuracy. Given the NIL money that's out there, Carr has considerable options for 2027.
While his 6'0" height works against him as an NFL prospect, Chambliss has maintained the elite form he showed during Ole Miss' run to the 2025 CFP semifinals. With the new fifth year of NCAA eligibility in play, Chambliss and USC QB Jayden Maiava are the only two top-tier quarterback prospects guaranteed to be in the draft.
News broke late on Monday that Moore is finished for the season. Moore has been out since suffering a concussion from a cheap-shot hit against USC on 9/26.
In his first year at Missouri, Simmons has had a breakthrough campaign. His limited number of career college starts to-date makes him a strong candidate to stay in school for another season, but some see Simmons as a potential first-round pick.
His name value will keep him in likely first-round consideration, though speculation is growing louder than Manning will stay in college and transfer for 2027. I braced for push-back and instead heard whispers of Ole Miss.
While Baugh hasn't kept the blistering pace he showed to begin the season, he has 13 touchdowns in 2026 and looks like the top draft-eligible running back prospect.
Lacy had a monster 2025 season. He scored a touchdown in 18 of his first 19 games with Ole Miss, but has been slowed since sustaining a left shoulder injury against LSU that appeared to be re-injured at Texas.
There was considerable hype for Becker coming into the season after IU's national championship run, and Becker has met if not exceeded the pre-season buzz to this point.
One of the top recruits in his high school class, Coleman has demonstrated his skill with Texas this season after transferring in from Auburn. Has a great catch radius.
RCW is an exceptional playmaker who had a 2024 freshman season that put all of college football on notice. The NFL values high-end speed above nearly everything else, and Coleman-Williams fits the bill with that.
Alexander is having a great year for the Rebels, a reliable target who matched his total scored touchdowns from 2023-2025 in just his first five games in 2026.
Green is a 6'7" athletic freak with tight end size and high-end speed. Missed time with injury but returned on 10/24 and scored a touchdown in LSU's victory over Auburn.
Johnson is an iOL who was on plenty of scouting radars entering the season, but he's been the biggest riser to-date among the top prospects. Lots of mid-first talk at this point.
Utah is unbeaten and Williams' play is part of that. Experienced player in his fifth season with the Utes. One of the top risers on scouting lists at offensive tackle this season.
Heard has demonstrated lockdown pass protection skill for the Wildcats this season. He's been on scouting radars for years thanks to his tremendous physical skills, and showing the performance to match now has people talking about Heard seriously as a potential first-round selection.
Siereveld is excellent as a pass blocker, and that trait will get you attention from the NFL. Also very effective against the run with tremendous versatility.
Smith is an interesting prospect, a tweener who might fit best as a guard in the NFL but has the versatility to fit several spots on the offensive line.
Generally viewed as the top draft-eligible defensive tackle, Echoles is especially skilled at forcing pressure on passing plays. Top ten is a legit possibility as it looks now, possibly even top five.
A transfer from Penn State in his third college season, Gilliam has had a breakout 2026 campaign for Tennessee: 11.5 TFLs and six sacks from an interior defensive line position. A remarkably disruptive pass rusher, Gilliam's skillset avails itself very well to the modern NFL.
Exceptionally skilled as an interior pass rusher, Moten has a tremendous motor. His high-end pass rushing skill is unusual and a trait that is more valuable than ever in the modern NFL.
Washington is incredibly athletic for his size and likely would've been a 2026 first-round pick had he not returned to Oregon for this season. Uniquely great at batting passes. A high-energy performer.
Thompkins is an interesting prospect, a 300 pound defensive lineman with great pass-rushing skill who has thrived in Alabama's defense after spending four years at USC.
Simmons suffered an ankle sprain against Florida, but that was actually good news as initially it looked like a possible knee injury. If healthy, Simmons looks on track to be a Top 10 draft selection, if not Top 5.
Stewart returned from suspension to record five tackles and a sack in South Carolina's win at Florida earlier this month. Stewart had double-digit tackles for loss in both 2024 and 2025.
Bouncing back from a 2024 torn ACL, Traore collected 10 tackles for loss for the Irish in 2025. He already has 5.5 TFLs in 2026, including 3.5 sacks. Traore matches a quick first step with exceptional timing on the snap and a wide array of pass-rush attacks.
At nearly 6'7" and with a 78-inch wingspan, Heldt is tough to stop as a pass rusher. Has a high motor and is building on back-to-back seasons of double-digit tackles for loss, including 15.5 last season. To date, Heldt has 8.5 TFLs on the season.
Now in his fourth year at Oregon, Uiagalelei has recorded 30 career tackles for loss, including 24.5 sacks. Great frame and arm length, good field awareness as well.
One of the top pass-rushers in college football, Lubin isn't as well-rounded as some EDGE prospects, but his ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks is elite. Some scouts are saying round two, but I look at Lubin's production and think round one is a distinct possibility.
Wilson has an incredible burst off the snap and great closing speed. High-motor athlete who had a strong showing against Clemson with 2.5 sacks. There's an explosiveness to Wilson's game.
Daley has proven that he has recovered fully from the torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season at Utah. In just 11 games last year, Daley collected 17.5 tackles for loss, including 11.5 sacks.
There aren't many people with the ability Cole has to effectively play both off-ball linebacker and EDGE rusher on passing downs. Cole has 8.5 tackles for loss on the season, including 2.5 collected in Georgia's win at Alabama.
A probable top-ten pick, Moore is likely going to be the first defensive back drafted in 2027. His elite length and frame fit with his fluidity and man-coverage dominance. Exceptional at forcing incompletions.
Hampton has tremendous speed to go with great size for the position. Very physical, a hard hitter who is skilled at breaking up passes; he had nine deflections last year and already has nine this season. A natural playmaker and a great tackler.
An instinctive playmaker, Robinson has tremendous closing speed. Great tackler and a hard-hitter. In 2025, Robinson had seven deflections and four interceptions.
At 6'4", Jones has great size and an exceptional wingspan. Athletes with his size seldom have his elite level of speed. Particularly effective in man coverage, Jones is the epitome of a shutdown corner.
Ultra high-end speed like Brown is believed to have (4.35 40-yard dash range) is an eternally valued trait in the NFL. He's an explosive playmaker and a excellent tackler.
Most scouts have Bolden as the top safety on their board. Bolden has elite speed and is an exceptional tackler, which is an unusual combination. High-level on pass coverage as well.
Johnson has only appeared in one game this season after suffering a foot injury against Wisconsin. He had a breakout 2025 season with four interceptions and 48 total tackles, and despite the injury concerns, many top evaluators still see Johnson as a viable first-round prospect.
Perhaps the biggest riser of the early part of the draft process, the 6'5" Lopa is unusually tall for the position. A transfer from Oregon, Lopa is extremely fast with great instincts. He opened the season with five interceptions in his first three games, including three against Syracuse. Also great against the run.
With elite length and frame, McDonald has played his way into first-round consideration. Matches up well against large wide receivers and tight ends. Great straight-line closing speed and anticipation.
