This college football season has been more unpredictable and full of surprises than any other in recent memory, with multiple top-ten teams losing every week, top prospects failing to meet expectations, and a plethora of risers emerging as potential first-round picks. This week likely won’t have too many surprises, though a few lookahead games loom large for the top teams in the country. I have two weeks of film-watching to discuss this week, which led to some overarching, big-picture thoughts.
The 2027 isn’t Weak… It’s Just Not What We Thought
Murmurs about how disappointing the 2027 NFL Draft class is have spread across X and other fan-led social media platforms. Some major NFL Draft analysts have claimed this class is weak at the top, with mediocre depth that creates the facade of a deep, strong class.
I’m just not buying it.
While the 2027 class was supposed to boast five first-round quarterbacks, I had to really force five into my “way-too-early” mock back in April. Candidly, I still had four landing inside my first-round mock draft earlier this week, though the order and the names have changed significantly. Two quarterback decisions—Dante Moore and Drew Mestemaker—will loom large at that position, but the rest of the class remains strong. The running back and tight end classes aren’t the most inspiring, which could create some dilemmas for fantasy managers (more on the running back group later). Still, the defensive tackle, cornerback, safety, and wide receiver groups are strong at the top, with ample depth to round out the class. I’m fond of this offensive tackle class, though Texas’ Trevor Goosby’s NFL Draft decision could impact the depth of the first 32 picks. Washington’s Drew Azzopardi could easily replace him in the first round, and there are enough guys with legitimate tools to feel comfortable with the group. Utah’s Zereoue Williams has emerged as a top-10 player for me after sitting behind two first-round picks last year, and he joins Iowa’s Trevor Lauck, Kentucky’s Lance Heard, and LSU’s Jordan Seaton as legitimate options.
Here’s how many Quality NFL Starter grades I’ve handed out over the last few classes, with a reminder that I have graded maybe a fourth of what I will by the end of the cycle:
2027 (incomplete): 25
2026: 29
2025: 40
2024: 26
If I had to guess right now, another 5-10 players will land inside that threshold, meaning this class is quite in line with my historical grading data.
The quarterback situation is part of a larger conversation. I reposted this the other day, and I’ve been thinking about it since.
