The dust has barely settled on the 2026 draft class, but there’s no rest for the weary as far as scouting is concerned. I actually started doing my homework on the 2027 class back in March, and it’s an exciting group to watch as a fan of the sport. There are a lot of excellent prospects to watch in college football this upcoming season.

Since I start my scouting each summer with quarterbacks, a lot of the early work was already done this time around. Many of these prospects were eligible to declare this past cycle, and some of them nearly did. There were a few surprising names who withdrew from the class, but it gives them a chance to continue to grow and get better.

As far as how good this class looks? Very. At least three of these quarterbacks would have been first-round picks in 2026 had they declared, and that’s not including the newly eligible players or the fact that all of them can continue to grow and get better. All 10 of the prospects in this article have a path to a first-round selection, and I’d rate four of them as having first-round grades from me right now.

1: Darian Mensah, Miami

I had Mensah in my top 50 last summer, well ahead of the consensus. A three-star recruit and high school basketball player from California, he won the starting job at Tulane as a redshirt freshman despite beginning the spring as fourth on the depth chart. After a great season, he transferred to Duke and blew up on a bigger stage, earning second-team All-ACC honors with 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns to just six interceptions. That performance prompted Miami to swoop in, and Mensah will have a chance to throw gasoline on his stock with a good season for the 2025 national runner-ups. 

Mensah isn’t the most physically imposing player, listed at just 6-3, 205 pounds. But he plays the game at a level well beyond his years, with plus accuracy and playmaking being hallmarks of his style. Despite lacking premium arm talent, he makes NFL throws on the regular, whipping passes across his body and hitting opposite sideline windows with both zip and touch. Mensah can fire off difficult passes from a variety of arm angles and makes a lot of plays out of structure. He’s not a rushing threat, but he has great pocket awareness and feel for incoming rushers, dodging traffic in the pocket to keep plays alive and find his receivers for big plays.

He got this under control at Duke somewhat, but Mensah can be a bit of a gunslinger. That impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio is somewhat deceptive, and he’s not afraid to make high-risk throws for big rewards. I’d like to see him get stronger, as well, since his frame could stand to add some weight to hold up to the hits he’ll take in the NFL. But make no mistake: Mensah would have been a first-round pick had he declared last cycle, and I believe he has all the skills to be a stud at the next level.

2: Jayden Maiava, USC

A 6-4, 225-pound redshirt senior from Hawaii, Maiava began his career as a three-star recruit at UNLV. After winning Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors in 2023, he transferred to the Trojans, becoming the full-time starter in 2025. He turned in a third-team All-Big Ten season with 3,711 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, adding 157 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

There isn’t a better touch passer in this class than Maiava. There are so many different types of passes he can deliver from a variety of platforms, and he can beat the rush and the coverage with creative ball placement. But he also has an NFL-ready frame with the arm strength to let it rip down the field, showcasing impressive accuracy on his deep passes. Though he might not be a big runner in the league, he’s mobile and can make plays on the move, punishing defenses that ignore his rushing threat with chunks of scramble yardage when appropriate. Maiava’s feel in the pocket and ability to dissect defenses over the middle of the field make him well-suited to the modern game.

At times, Maiava can get a little too cute with his passes, putting the ball in harm’s way when an easier play was both there and the right read. Despite being an older prospect, he only has about two and a half seasons of starting experience, so there are still things he’s working through on the field. I’d like to see him protect the football better without sacrificing his big-play tendencies, too. Overall, though, Maiava is already a first-round caliber quarterback who can still rise in a loaded class.

3: Arch Manning, Texas

Archie’s grandson. Peyton and Eli’s nephew. The next great Manning’s time has come. The No. 1 overall player in the class of 2023, Arch redshirted for a season before starting two games in place of Quinn Ewers in 2024. He looked so good in those games that the hype was through the roof for him entering 2025 — I even ranked him my No. 2 overall player last summer. He ended up throwing for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns to seven interceptions, adding 399 rushing yards and 10 more touchdowns. Manning struggled to start the season, but was on a roll by the end of it, and once again he’ll enter the season as the favorite to go No. 1 overall.

Standing at 6-4, 226 pounds, Manning is a prototypical NFL quarterback from a physical standpoint. He’s got insane arm talent, slinging the ball all over the field like his uncles, but he runs like his grandfather. Arch is genuinely a plus rushing threat and his physicality and quickness take defenses by surprise. When he’s in a rhythm, he’s hyper-accurate, hitting receivers in stride and leading them to areas where they can generate more yards after the catch. Manning’s ability to read defenses improved dramatically over the course of the season, and with his tools, that’s a dangerous combination.

Had Manning declared for the 2026 draft, he might’ve been the No. 1 overall pick ahead of Fernando Mendoza. That’s how good he looked by the end of the season. Still, consistency will be key for him this year. He can’t afford another rough start, as this class is simply too loaded for him to keep his stock that way. Manning was prone to bouts of wild inaccuracy and poor decision-making that doomed his team. But if he continues on this trajectory, it’ll be hard to argue he’s not one of the best quarterback prospects in years.

4: Dante Moore, Oregon

A surprise name to pull out of the draft, Moore would have gone No. 2 to the Jets had he stayed in the class. Instead, he chose to return for his third year with the Ducks. A former five-star recruit who had a rough freshman season at UCLA, Moore transferred to Oregon and redshirted behind Dillon Gabriel for a year. He took over as the starter in 2025, posting 3,565 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, earning third-team All-Big Ten recognition for his efforts.

Physically, Moore checks every box for a prototype pocket passer quarterback. He has elite arm strength and can make every throw in the book, routinely hitting targets in stride 40-50 yards down the field. He’s accurate to all three levels, completing over 70 percent of his passes in 2025 and showcasing great ball placement and anticipation on his throws. When operating from a clean pocket, Moore is confident and reads the field well, hitting receivers out of their breaks for big plays over the middle. He’s athletic enough to be a weapon on the move, too, scrambling for first downs and buying time to make plays with his arm.

Under pressure, Moore’s decision-making suffers. He’s still learning to read defenses and gets caught by defenders rotating post-snap or lurking in places he wasn’t expecting them to be. When faced with pressure, he can be too aggressive, creating turnovers when there was no need for him to attempt passes that shouldn’t be thrown. Hopefully, with more experience, he’ll drop some of these bad habits. If he does, the sky’s the limit for him. He has a great chance to be a top-five pick in 2027, perhaps even compete to be taken No. 1 overall.

5: Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State

Mestemaker’s story is nothing short of incredible. A zero-star recruit from Austin, Texas, he walked on at North Texas in 2024, earning a backup job before winning the starting job in 2025. All he did then was post 4,379 passing yards with 34 touchdowns to nine interceptions, with a 68.9-percent completion rate. Mestemaker added five rushing touchdowns and earned first-team All-American conference, Freshman All-American, and Freshman American Conference Player of the Year honors. That earned him a look from Oklahoma State, and he’ll look to repeat that success at the Power Four level. 

At 6-3, 211 pounds, Mestemaker just oozes confidence. He has a clean, repeatable release that gets the ball out quickly and adds to his plus accuracy. Unafraid of the moment, he’s good at pushing the ball down the field, hitting tight windows with timing and great ball placement that minimizes the risk of interceptions. With the functional athleticism to make plays on the move but a pass-first mentality, Mestemaker can extend plays with his legs but keeps his eyes downfield. When given a clean pocket, he works through progressions with the reads of a much more experienced player.

Mestemaker is one of the youngest players in the class, and that shows up in his tape at times. He can get locked onto his primary target, staring them down and hesitating if they don’t come open. He takes far too many sacks, holding onto the ball for too long rather than throwing it away or picking up a few yards with his legs. A lot of his passes get batted at the line, possibly because of his low release point — it’s possible a throwing coach would want to rework his mechanics a bit. But Mestemaker has all the physical talent he needs, and so far he looks experienced beyond his years.

6: CJ Carr, Notre Dame

A 6-2, 215-pound redshirt sophomore from Michigan, Carr was a four-star recruit who didn’t see any game action until 2025. But he made quite the impression as the Fighting Irish’s starting quarterback last season, throwing for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns to six interceptions, impressing as one of the most dynamic young quarterbacks in the game.

Carr’s strength is his ability to push the ball downfield without creating turnovers. He’s unafraid over the middle, hitting receivers in stride before defenders can close those throwing lanes. Comfortable throwing receivers open, he doesn’t wait until he sees them break free, hitting them out of their breaks for big plays. Throwing deep, his accuracy is a major plus, and he has the arm strength to challenge the defense vertically on every snap. When faced with pressure, he navigates the pocket well, keeping his mechanics clean and his eyes downfield, unafraid of the oncoming pass rush.

That said, Carr isn’t much of a scrambler, and defenses simply don’t respect his legs as a true threat. He can make plays on the move and out of the pocket, but he’ll struggle to outrun defenders in the NFL consistently. On occasion, he’ll get too aggressive, forcing throws that aren’t there and refusing to eat a sack or throw that ball away when it would be appropriate. For a first-year starter, though, that’s absolutely fixable, and Carr is one of the more intriguing prospects in this class for me.

7: LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

I was a big Sellers guy a year ago. A 6-3, 240-pound South Carolina native, Sellers redshirted initially before winning the starting job in 2024 as a redshirt freshman. He won SEC Freshman of the Year that season and was named third-team All-SEC, leading to a lot of hype entering 2025. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the season he wanted, with 2,437 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to eight interceptions, along with 270 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

Sellers is hands down the best rushing threat at quarterback in this class. He’s a wrecking ball, punishing defenders who get in his way, but he’s agile enough to make people miss, too. His rushing stats are deflated by sacks, but make no mistake: Sellers is a premier rushing quarterback. He pairs that with a rocket arm that can make every throw in the book and the fearless composure to stand tall in the pocket and make tough throws through pressure.

The rest of Sellers’ game is still pretty raw. He didn’t develop his pocket presence, taking way too many sacks that completely stalled his offense’s progress. When throwing downfield, his accuracy is pretty hit or miss, coming in spurts and generally unreliable. He doesn’t appear to be comfortable reading defenses from the pocket, preferring to get out in space and make plays out of structure. The story with Sellers is largely the same as it was a year ago: he has all the tools to succeed, it’s just up to him to put it all together.

8: Julian Sayin, Ohio State

A five-star quarterback from California, Sayin transferred from Alabama and redshirted for the Buckeyes in 2024. Stepping into a starting role in 2025, he looked like a natural, leading Ohio State to another College Football Playoff berth with 3,610 passing yards and 32 touchdowns to eight interceptions, completing 77.0 percent of his passes along the way. Sayin’s performance earned him second-team All-Big Ten recognition, along with winning Big Ten and National Freshman of the Year honors.

Standing at 6-1, 208 pounds, Sayin is a true pocket passer. He’s light on his feet with a quick release, firing the ball with textbook mechanics and supreme accuracy. The ability to create open receivers through his accuracy and ball placement alone is what makes Sayin special — he has the uncanny ability to squeeze passes into extremely tight windows without ever really putting it in harm’s way. He knows how to navigate the pocket and delivers the ball with touch when needed, owning the middle of the field and creating consistent chunk plays.

Under pressure, Sayin struggles right now. He’s not athletic enough to create on his own out of structure and he’s undersized, too. Given that, defenses had success when they were able to apply quick pressure, even through blitzes, as Sayin wasn’t able to punish them for opening up the coverage. Still, he has a high floor as a prospect, and if he improves under pressure, the sky’s the limit for his draft stock.

9: John Mateer, Oklahoma

A 6-1, 218-pound redshirt senior from Texas, Mateer was a three-star high school recruit who began his collegiate career at Washington State. He broke out in a major way in 2024 for the Cougars, becoming one of the hottest names in the transfer portal. By the time he got to Oklahoma, he was a bit of a draft darling, and everyone wanted to see if his skills would translate to the Power Four. It was a mixed bag at times for Mateer, but he still had 2,885 passing yards and 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, adding 431 rushing yards and eight more touchdowns.

Mateer’s 2025 season can be broken into two parts: before and after the broken hand injury suffered in late September. At his best, he’s a plus athlete who can create out of structure as well as anyone, delivering tough passes from a variety of throwing angles and making defenses think twice about everything they try and do. From the pocket, he delivers tough passes under pressure, with enough arm strength to make opposite-sideline throws and threaten deep, adding solid accuracy, especially over the middle of the field. His ability to attack defenses over the middle through the designs of the offense while still creating big plays outside of it gives him an impressive ceiling as a prospect.

But Mateer wasn’t the same player after that hand injury. His accuracy plummeted and he could no longer drive the ball downfield the way he used to. Even when healthy, he’s a true gunslinger and takes unnecessary risks, and that was only amplified as he grew frustrated with his inability to perform at his usual level. Mateer doesn’t have a standout NFL arm anyway, either. But while his transfer to the Sooners didn’t go as well as anyone hoped last year, he looked much better pre-injury. If he’s fully healthy again, I’d love to see what he can do to boost his draft stock once again.

10: Byrum Brown, Auburn

A South Florida legend, Brown hails from Raleigh where he was a three-star high school recruit. He spent four years at South Florida to begin his career and currently holds 15 Bulls program records, including a number of single-season and career marks in both passing and rushing categories. In 2025, he was named to the second-team All-American conference, with 3,158 passing yards and 28 touchdowns to seven interceptions in addition to 1,008 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

Standing at 6-3, 232 pounds, Brown is a deadly weapon on the ground. He’s an exceptionally dynamic runner, looking like a running back out there with the way he moves in space and can chain tackle-breaking spins and jukes together to create highlight reels. Brown has the arm talent, too, able to push the ball downfield consistently and he got better and better throughout his career at reading defenses and finding soft spots to attack in zone coverages. For a passer with his playstyle, he’s remarkably good at avoiding turnover-worthy plays, instead choosing his spots to attack and using his legs when everything’s covered downfield.

At times, Brown can get into trouble locking onto his first read and tucking and running if it’s not there, rather than going through his progressions. Accuracy and touch on shorter throws are issues for him, as it comes and goes seemingly without rhyme or reason. He can be loose with the ball in the pocket and as a runner, something that needs to be cleaned up given the sheer volume of his rushing attempts. But I like Brown as a high-ceiling player who’s continued to ascend each year of his career.