Way-Too-Early 2027 NFL Mock Draft
From Arch Manning to Jeremiah Smith, the 2027 NFL Draft is loaded with talent. Here's how the draft will *absolutely not* come to fruition more than a year from now.
In the film industry, there’s a method of filmmaking called “one for me, one for you.” The “one for you” pays the bills, satisfies audiences, and creates the relationships necessary to get the “one for me” made. The “one for me” is a passion project that may not be well-received, but makes all the work meaningful. This is my version of the “one for me.” The discourse surrounding the 2026 NFL Draft has stagnated. We’re a couple of weeks away from the twists and turns, and in the meantime, I wanted to get a head start and see the next crop of NFL Draft prospects. As the subtitle says, I know there’s a 0.0000001% chance that all of these things come to fruition. The draft order is set simply by reverse Super Bowl odds, so that alone will be wrong. However, we need more fun in the world. Join me for a fun exercise in exploring the 2027 NFL Draft.
The Malik Willis contract is structured as a “prove-it” deal with significant money in the second year. I candidly don’t think he’s going to be the long-term answer, and if the Dolphins earn the top overall pick, they’ll have a slew of talented quarterbacks to choose from. Moore is my early QB1, with high-level processing, accuracy, and mobility. I broke down his film earlier this year.
While the Jets will undoubtedly need a quarterback if they’re picking second overall again, their history at the position suggests they should take the generational wideout whose only close comparison is Julio Jones. Smith is the best wideout I’ve ever graded, and he should not make it out of the top three in next year’s draft.
Candidly, I don’t think Manning has performed well enough to be a top-five pick right now. He has shoddy footwork and mechanics, and an NFL-average arm. But he’s a Manning, and I do believe in his ability to continue developing. He has a unique blend of powerful athleticism and the talent to make most throws on a football field, and another year of development could vault him into this range. I hope to see it.
Sayin will enter the 2026 season as a redshirt sophomore, but if he has another year like his 2025, he’s almost guaranteed to be a top-five pick. He’s supremely accurate, has a massive arm, and pushes the ball to all three field levels with precision and awareness. He’s not as mobile as some of his counterparts in this class, but he makes up for it with arguably the strongest arm among the top group and the opportunity to play in some big games throughout his college career.
Simmons is an ultra-athletic, explosive edge rusher with 19 sacks and over 100 pressures over his first two years. He’s in the Abdul Carter mold of elite speed rushers, and he’s still just scratching the surface. He should be a top-five pick next year, and if the quarterbacks falter the way they have in recent years, he could be the first non-Jeremiah Smith pick off the board.
Seaton was a bright spot for a poor Colorado Buffaloes team in 2025, with some of the best pass-blocking film in the country. The run blocking is still inconsistent, as Seaton plays at 100 miles per hour on every snap, causing him to lose his balance, miss his targets, and struggle to make an impact on the ground. However, he’s one of the most efficient-moving tackles in the last few years, and he should take a significant leap in the Lane Kiffin LSU offense.
This is a bit of a call my shot, since John Henry Daley has been in the college football world for five years, but he enters this season with two years of eligibility remaining. Still, his breakout 2025 was cut short by an Achilles injury, but it was full of outstanding moments that should translate well to Michigan. He’s a powerful, explosive, high-motor athlete with excellent awareness and IQ. I expect a massive year from him.
Among the two tackles off the board so far, Lauck is the most well-rounded, and he has just as good an opportunity to be the first tackle off the board. He’s a smooth mover with excellent length and patience as a pass protector. He is still working through some hand placement issues, but he’s strong, anchoring well when he has to catch edge rushers in his chest. Lauck can get in the open field and move, and I expect he’ll continue his ascension in 2026.
Moore would be CB1 if he were eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft, and that’s no discredit to Mansoor Delane and Jermod McCoy. Moore is as “island corner” as they come, with some of the most lockdown film in both man and zone coverage as I’ve seen in the last couple of years. He’s been doing it since stepping onto a college football field, too, as he’s been arguably the best corner in the sport since his arrival in South Bend.
While he hasn’t quite put it all together yet, Brown has the makings of a lockdown corner at the NFL level. With elite athleticism, length, and unquestioned tenacity, Brown is one of the most physical, nasty corners in this class. He’s not in the same vein as other Alabama greats at the position, but a strong 2026 season could change that.
I’m much lower on the 2027 wide receiver class now than I was a year ago, but Cam Coleman is a player who should be in discussions for the top 10. While he doesn’t make it here, he lands opposite Malik Nabers, where he can show off his elite ball skills as a No. 1, XWR, and free Nabers to be more of a move piece. His explosiveness should be a welcome arrival for Arch Manning in 2026.
Uiagalelei is more of a fine player than a potential top-20 pick right now, but his growth as a pass rusher in 2025 was substantial, and another year playing next to A’Mauri Washington and company could vault him into this range of the draft. He struggled to record as many sacks as he did in 2024, but he developed a more defined pass-rush plan, using that increased skill to generate pressure and collapse pockets. I anticipate another jump in production in 2026.
This seems early for a safety not named Caleb Downs, but Bolden really does have next. He’s a rangy player who hits like a linebacker and covers like a corner. He was one of the most efficient tacklers in the country in 2025, combining big hits with sound wrap-ups and big stops. He has excellent ball skills, breaking up six passes and intercepting two last year. Bolden isn’t quite Downs, but the state of safety play in the NFL is set to rise significantly with the next two classes.
The Buccaneers should look to bolster the interior of their line, as it hasn’t gone according to plan over the last year and a half. Green does exactly that, as his best position at the NFL level will be on the interior, despite solid play at tackle in 2025. He is an excellent athlete who has consistently improved, with fantastic leg drive, anchoring ability, and power to move players. He’s not quite in the Alijah Vera-Tucker mold, but his versatility will make him even more valuable when next year’s draft comes around.
The Jets passed on a quarterback because they had more opportunities, and here, they land Hoover, a player I expect will take a massive leap while playing under Curt Cignetti in 2026. Hoover already displays the traits of a high-level NFL quarterback, with consistent read progressions, occasionally elite ball placement, and all the physical tools you can ask for. Consistency sometimes eludes him, but he will be one of the most experienced quarterbacks in next year’s class, and if he takes a step forward, he will also have more than 100 touchdown passes over his four years as a starter.
This is candidly too low for Washington, but we haven’t seen too many defensive tackles go super early in the draft in recent years (with a few exceptions). Washington would’ve been a first-round pick later this month, had he declared, and he’ll be very high on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List when the 2026 version is published. He hits over 20 miles per hour, squats over 700 pounds, and brings all those physical tools to the football field. He’ll need to get better at wrapping up ball carriers, but he’s disruptive.
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I was generally disappointed with the Clemson defensive line in 2025, but Heldt was a bright spot. He’s a long, athletic former linebacker recruit who plays with an outstanding motor. He hit double-digit sacks last year, and he’s solid as a run defender. The Bears will likely fall in love with the measurables, as he stands at 6’6 and 260 pounds.
Johnson’s first year in Oregon was incredibly successful, as he gained more than 500 yards as the team’s No. 2 tight end. He’s not going to blow anyone away as a run blocker, but his receiving ability will be highly coveted by NFL teams. Assuming Dante Moore has a season worthy of the top overall pick, Johnson will be right there with him in the first round.
Stone is a powerful, explosive, and somewhat short and compact defensive tackle who checks a lot of boxes for what NFL teams are looking for in their interior defensive line. He is still developing a pass-rush plan, but he wins with a high motor and excellent lateral agility. He’s stout against the run, and his aggressiveness should make a third-year jump inevitable.
Peak is an absolute monster, adding to the highly athletic offensive tackle group that should make up the 2027 NFL Draft. He moves like some of the NFL’s best tackles, gliding upfield to land impact run blocks regularly. He improved significantly as a pass blocker in 2025, but a focus on staying balanced at the hips will determine if he’s a top-ten pick or in this range of the draft.
Peal had an excellent first year in Syracuse after transferring from Georgia, and another year of film should solidify him as a first-round pick. He has verified athleticism, displays excellent feel in man coverage, and uses his length to make life difficult for his opponents. He displayed some impressive ball skills last year, and he’ll have to round out his game by improving his feel in zone coverage. I expect that’ll happen, considering 2025 was his first time playing more than 20 snaps since entering college football.
I need to reiterate that the 2027 NFL Draft is full of some dogs at offensive tackle, and Goosby is one of them. When I graded him for this draft before he decided to return to Texas, I had him at a second-round grade. He is arguably the best run blocker in this class, with a patient, balanced approach to attacking players at the second level. As a pass protector, he can become unbalanced, and his feet can fall behind, but there’s enough to work with there to assume he’ll take a leap forward in 2026.
Becker’s late-season rise was a major reason the Hoosiers landed a national championship, and his skill set is conducive to NFL success. He had just 70 yards heading into Week 9. He finished with 679 over his final nine games, displaying an elite catch radius, remarkable athleticism, and more nuanced routes than most guys his size (6’4, 209). He reminds me of Alec Pierce, and his skill set would be perfect with Drake Maye.
Sharpe was the No. 2 corner for the Hoosiers in 2025, and his year-three jump was impressive, though the signs were there in 2024. He has an excellent feel for routes, a high IQ, and eye discipline, especially in zone coverage. He plays with patience and control, and he was as confident as he’s ever been, providing opportunities for island coverage throughout the championship season. Indiana will be a force again, and Sharpe will have some tough matchups to prove his development is real.
Craver is a small fella (5’9, 165), but he’s fast, twitchy, and explosive with the ball in his hands. He’s a great route runner, consistently using his speed to beat corners downfield. He also has an impressive catch radius, knows how to attack the ball in the air, especially well for a smaller guy, and has an innate ability to find the soft spots in zone coverage.
Sabb will return to the Crimson Tide for a fifth year, and he’ll do so after bouncing back after a down 2024. His 2025 gave us a look at the version of him we saw as a sophomore, with the confidence to fly around the field and make plays most safeties cannot. He’s a hard-hitting player who rarely misses tackles, and he showed an ability to become a lockdown man coverage safety in spots. He combines those skills with excellent feel in zone coverage, which pushes him into first-round safety territory.
This was candidly between Duce Robinson and Green, but I have more faith that Kyle Shanahan will be obsessed with molding the latter into a perennial All-Pro after George Kittle’s career ends. Green has been only fine since arriving at LSU, but at 6’7, 240, NFL teams will undoubtedly fall in love with the size-speed combination he provides. He’s also arguably the best jump-ball tight end I’ve seen since I began scouting, especially when operating inside the ten-yard line.
Two Alabama safeties in the first round of the same draft is insane, but remember, this is just a fun exercise. Hubbard was arguably the better safety between him and Sabb last year, but both showed off some of the highest IQ, high-flying film at the position in the country. Hubbard is more of a box safety, with an elite feel for run fits and preventing short completions from becoming big plays. This dude hits as hard as his teammate (maybe harder), but he’s not quite as good in coverage. He’s a perfect Harbaugh draft pick.
This running back class has a lot of fun names (significantly more fun than the 2026 class), and Lacy is among the most intriguing to me. He was only held under 50 yards three times last season, gaining 1,564 total and showing out in his final seven games, including a 224-yard, three-touchdown performance against Florida. While many will point to Ole Miss’s offensive system as a factor (and rightfully so), Lacy’s vision, contact balance, and explosiveness (41.8% Breakaway % in 2025) make him an early candidate for RB1 in a class that features Nate Frazier, Jadan Baugh, and Ahmad Hardy.
Speaking of which, I initially went with a short, productive edge rusher here, but then I remembered that Mike Macdonald has a say in things now. I candidly assume the Seahawks will find their Kenneth Walker III replacement in this year’s draft, but if they don’t, Hardy would be a perfect fit. He’s an elite combination of speed and contact balance, with nearly 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns through his first two seasons. Next year could be a year we see multiple running backs in the first round, and these two are my favorites to be the first two off the board.
Viliamu-Asa’s second-year breakout was incredible, and he reminds me a ton of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He’s one of the best run-fitting linebackers in the country, playing much bigger than his listed size, hitting hard, and consistently containing the edge when asked to. He’s excellent in coverage, and his week-to-week growth was noticeable, even throughout his sophomore campaign. The Bills aren’t in desperate need of a linebacker, but it’s an area they’ve slowly let slip through the cracks. Viliamu-Asa would immediately improve the room.
Various quarterbacks will be vying for this spot, with LaNorris Sellers, Drew Mestemaker, CJ Carr, and Trinidad Chambliss among the group, but I’m betting on Mensah taking his success from Duke over to Miami this year. Mensah is a precise gunslinger with fantastic deep ball placement and zip on his football. Evaluators will want to see how he handles increased responsibility in reading the field, setting protections, and taking over for highly experienced Carson Beck, but I have faith that he’ll improve as he continues to get more reps. If we’re assuming this is Matthew Stafford’s last year and he goes out with a Super Bowl, this may be the best-case scenario for the Rams.
What you’re missing is the Jets have 3 first round picks and they will land the number one because of that. They also won’t be great this season so armed with 3 already plus what they get next season? Pencil them in for the number one pick. There will be one team in the top 3 that won’t pass up 3 picks plus maybe next season equaling four? That would be insane and I don’t think the Jets have to trade all of them to get that high but they could if need be. They will have their choice of QBs to ruin.