The 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class opened the college football season with one NFL general manager projecting five first-rounders, but Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore have slid down draft boards heading into November.
“It’s so bad across the landscape of college football that the NFL is actually excited about a former walk-on,” a longtime NFL executive told veteran NFL reporter Charles Robinson on Monday, referring to Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
Arch Manning, Dante Moore lose ground
Manning entered Saturday’s game against Ole Miss facing a possible benching after back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Florida. Earlier that week, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said, “I need to see a better version of Arch Manning.”
The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning ran for two touchdowns in a 34-27 win, including the go-ahead score with 8:04 left. But he also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble that Ole Miss defensive end Kam Franklin returned for a touchdown as the Rebels erased a 24-3 halftime deficit.
Before the game, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said on “First Take,” “I do not believe Arch should go to the NFL. I believe Arch should leave Texas.”
Oregon coach Dan Lanning announced Monday that Moore isn’t expected to play again this season after suffering a concussion on a late hit while sliding at USC on Sept. 26.
“If it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would be out there playing for the guys,” Lanning said.
Moore had nine touchdowns and no interceptions before the injury. The NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule also gives the former UCLA quarterback the option to return to college in 2027 and enter the 2028 draft instead.
Who leads the 2027 QB draft class?
Mestemaker never started a varsity game at quarterback in high school, walked on at North Texas and followed coach Eric Morris to Stillwater this season. He threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday’s 57-24 win over Colorado and has 2,326 passing yards and 20 touchdowns through seven games.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked the Austin native No. 2 overall on his 2027 big board on Oct. 15, the highest of seven quarterbacks in his top 25. Miami’s Darian Mensah (No. 4), Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss (No. 6), Notre Dame’s CJ Carr (No. 8) and Missouri’s Austin Simmons (No. 10) were the other quarterbacks in his top 10, while Manning landed at No. 24 and Moore at No. 25.
Mensah, now at his third school in three years, completed 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns as No. 1 Miami beat Pitt 52-23 on Saturday. He’s completing 81.4% of his passes with 22 touchdowns and one interception, though Kiper wrote that Miami’s November trip to Notre Dame “is going to say a lot about Mensah’s draft stock because the Hurricanes have played a pretty light schedule thus far.”
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit called Chambliss the best quarterback in the country before Ole Miss’ trip to Austin. The Ferris State transfer then completed 25 of 52 passes with three interceptions, and SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum said he and Manning both made “idiotic mistakes.”
Jets, Browns among QB-needy teams
A thinner first round hits hardest for the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins; the five franchises Robinson reported are doing extensive work on this class. New York holds three first-round picks and has Geno Smith starting as a bridge quarterback.
If only two or three quarterbacks carry first-round grades in April, those teams will have to trade up, reach for a prospect with more questions or settle on a veteran.
Carr has thrown one interception all season, and Miami’s Nov. 7 trip to Notre Dame puts the Notre Dame passer on the same field as Mensah. It's a great opportunity for both signal-callers to stand out from each other and improve their respective draft stocks on a national stage.
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