2027 NFL Mock Draft ahead of Week 0 of the new college football season

The 2026 college football season is about to start with a Week 0 slate that includes North Carolina vs. TCU in Dublin, Ireland. For NFL fans, the wait continues, as pro football is still two weekends away. So, how can we bridge the gap between college and the pros? By doing a 2027 NFL Mock Draft, of course!

NOTE: The draft order is via Tankathon’s 2027 NFL Draft order projections. 

1. Arizona Cardinals: QB Dante Moore, Oregon

Dante Moore would have almost certainly been the No. 2 or 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft had he come out of school last season. Another year in the high-powered Oregon offense will make him look like the most polished and NFL-ready signal-caller in this draft, and the Cardinals will pounce on him, unless Carson Beck somehow pops as a potential franchise QB this season.

2. Miami Dolphins: QB Arch Manning, Texas

The No. 1 name in this 2027 NFL Mock Draft is Arch Manning, who will still have a year of eligibility left and may not come out at all. If he does, and the top of the draft does, in fact, look like this, don’t be surprised if his family steers him toward the Dolphins, which is the most stable franchise of the bunch in the top four.

3. New York Jets: QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State

Right now, Julian Sayin is in the mix with the two QBs above and two below him in this 2027 NFL Mock Draft. The Ohio State signal-caller’s draft position will be dictated by how he plays this year. If he builds on last year’s success, he’s a top-three pick. If he stalls or regresses, he’ll drop like Garett Nussmeier, Drew Allar, and Cade Klubnik did last year.

4. Cleveland Browns: QB Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State

After a massive year at North Texas, Drew Mestemaker is taking his talents to the big leagues in college football. And if he has another season where he slings it all over the yard, but this time does it in the Big 12, the NFL will come calling next. So, putting him here at N. 4 to Cleveland is a prediction that a big season is coming.

5. Tennessee Titans: OT Trevor Goosby, Texas

This is where things get interesting if Jeremiah Smith is still on the board. Sure, the Titans could use an incredible wide receiver, but what good is that if Cam Ward is always running for his life? The 6-foot-7, 325 Texas tackle Trevor Goosby has both the tape and the physical potential to be a true franchise cornerstone LT. The responsible pick for the Titans here is to pick a player some think is the best LT prospect since Joe Alt.

6. Las Vegas Raiders: WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

Speaking of generational prospects, Smith has the potential to be an elite NFL wideout right out of the gates. In fact, he has actually shown even more high-end talent in college than players like Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, who came into the league and dominated right away. If he’s here at six, the Raiders will run his name to the podium.

7. Atlanta Falcons: QB Darian Mensah, Miami

Duke transfer Darian Mensah is coming to The U as the highest-paid player in college football this season. That should give you some idea of his potential. As for the Falcons, it is likely time to pull the plug on the Michael Penix Jr. experiment, so it is back to the draft board at QB for them.

8. New Orleans Saints: EDGE Colin Simmons, Texas

Just like in 2024, when QBs pushed the best WRs, LTs, and defensive players further down the draft board than their talent probably dictated, that will happen again in 2027. That means the Saints can get a top-five talent in Collin Simmons at No. 8. The only controversy here is: Will they go with Simmons’s production or the measurables and upside of Dylan Stewart?

9. Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame

The Steelers will also get a steal here with Leonard Moore. He is an elite cover corner who picked off five balls as a Sophomore. At 6-foot-2, 197 pounds with speed and strength, he should be a can’t-miss prospect at a position that is gaining importance every year.

10. Carolina Panthers: EDGE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

Stewart is slightly bigger and more athletic than Simmons, which will make many teams fall in love with him. The production hasn’t quite matched the potential just yet, but with a top-10 pick and the need for an elite pass rusher, the Gamecocks’ star will look too good for the Panthers to pass up.

11. New York Giants: OT Jordan Seaton, LSU

With John Harbaugh in the mix, the Giants should continue to build from the trenches around Jaxson Dart. If that’s the case, right tackle is next on the needs list, and as long as Jordan Seaton can hold up in the SEC after transferring in from Colorado, he could be the answer on the Big Blue offensive line.

12. Washington Commanders: EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon

Matayi Uiagalelei may not be the best edge rusher on the Oregon Ducks this season, but his 22.0 sacks in the last two seasons give him the slight edge for now over Teitum Tuioti. As for the Commanders, having Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Dorance Armstrong as your primary pass rushers is just not going to cut it.

13. New York Jets (via Colts): WR Cam Coleman, Texas

In a year without Jeremiah Smith on the draft board, Cam Coleman would likely be the No. 1 WR. The Texas pass-catcher can do it all, and the 6-foot-3 speedster should have a great season with Manning. In 2027, joining forces with Sayin could create an excellent long-term partnership.

14. Minnesota Vikings: CB Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia

Ellis Robinson IV is right up there as a cover man with Moore, he just doesn’t quite have the same size and physicality as the Notre Dame CB or some that will come later in this 2027 NFL Mock Draft. Still, he is the second-best DB in this draft heading into college football Week 0, so going 14th is not a stretch at all.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars: WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama

Ryan Coleman-Williams had a rough 2025 campaign, but in his breakout freshman season (then just Ryan Williams), he was right up there with Jeremiah Smith. This is a bit of a prediction that he regains his form in 2026, but if he does, Coleman-Williams can fly, and that can make him a WR who can help Trevor Lawrence take the next step.

16. New York Jets (via Cowboys): DL David Stone, Oklahoma

This is simply a best-player-available pick for the Jets. With their first two picks going to the offense, why not pick an absolute beast of a DT who slides out of the top 15? David Stone is aptly named because he can be a true cornerstone for the Jets as they look to rebuild both sides of the ball.

17. Cincinnati Bengals: S KJ Bolden, Georgia

Safeties that can be chess pieces for good defensive coordinators are becoming more and more valuable in the NFL, and KJ Bolen is the best all-around safety in the 2027 NFL Draft. The Bengals have already spent a lot of draft capital on the defensive front in recent years, so adding a do-it-all safety in the mix could be the piece that ties it all together.

18. Dallas Cowboys (via Packers): CB Kelley Jones, Mississippi State

Jerry Jones needs to continue to build the defense as the offense gets to the end of its line with Dak Prescott. The Cowboys owner loves big, physical players, and they don’t come bigger or more physical at corner than the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Kelley Jones, who will give big WRs fits at the next level.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DL A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech

A.J. Holmes is arguably the best run-defending defensive tackle in this class, and with 4.5 sacks in 2025, he showed he can push the pocket and get to the quarterback from the middle as well. Putting him next to Vita Vea for a few years could give the Buccaneers one of the best defensive lines in the league.

20. Chicago Bears: OL Cayden Green, Missouri

Cayden Green is an offensive lineman who can play guard or tackle at the next level. The Bears’ biggest need is at tackle right now, but adding a versatile player like this, who will plug in somewhere and start for a long time, makes a lot of sense. That is what will help Caleb Williams the most moving forward.

21. Denver Broncos: TE Trey’Dez Green, LSU

Trey’Dez Green is a unique weapon and a tight end unlike one we have ever seen in the NFL. At 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, and a member of the LSU basketball team, Green has the chance to become something we haven’t seen in Pro Football. Who better to make that happen than the offensive genius, Sean Payton?

22. New England Patriots: EDGE Damon Wilson II, Miami

After transferring from Missouri to The U, Damon Wilson II has the chance to burst onto the 2027 NFL Draft scene in a big way. As it is, he outperformed 2026 second-round pick Zion Young in a lot of ways last season, and now that he is a Hurricane and playing with two elite defensive tackles, 22 may actually be too low a prediction.

23. Los Angeles Chargers: OL Carter Smith, Indiana

Carter Smith is another excellent tackle who has the short-arm issue that may force him inside to guard in the pros. For the Chargers, that is exactly what they need, and having that tackle experience makes him an even better fit in case LA loses one of its bookend tackles, as they have done several times in recent years.

24. San Francisco 49ers: TE Jamari Johnson, Oregon

Jamari Johnson is the best all-around tight end in the 2027 NFL Draft, but he just isn’t the outlier from a size and athleticism perspective that Green is. That will be just fine for San Francisco and Kyle Shanahan, who will be happy to get George Kittle’s successor in the building.

25. Houston Texans: WR Charlie Becker, Indiana

The Curt Cignetti-Indiana offense train keeps on rolling, and with college football Week 0 now here, it looks as though the Hoosiers will once again be a powerhouse. That means replacing Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarrat. In the Sarratt big-play role will be Charlie Becker, who became a huge contributor toward the end of the Indiana national championship run. Another productive season could make the 6-foot-4 wideout the third or fourth WR off the board.

26. Detroit Lions: QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame

After a solid preseason, it looks like the Rams’ decision to take Ty Simpsn a “year too early” could work out well as they transition to Matthew Stafford. Now, the Lions will follow that playbook and snag Notre Dame’s CJ Carr to let him learn under Jared Goff. It doesn’t hurt that Carr is the grandson of a Michigan legend, which will make CJ an instant fan favorite.

27. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Trevor Lauck, Iowa

The Chiefs need a right tackle desperately. Iowa Hawkeye Trevor Lauck is a ready-made NFL right tackle. Sometimes, you don’t need much more analysis than that.

28. Seattle Seahawks: EDGE John Henry Daley, Michigan

This could be a typical Seahawks value pick if things fall right. John Henry Daley was one of the best pass rushers in college football last season at Utah, but a torn Achilles set him back. He seems good to go in 2026, but will likely be slowed, especially in the beginning. This will push Daley down to the end of Round 1, and the Seahawks will benefit.

29. Philadelphia Eagles: OT PJ Williams, SMU

Now that the Eagles are starting to have to pay all their young defensive stars, Howie Roseman is starting to get younger on the other side of the ball. PJ Williams is a rock-solid tackle who could be the replacement for the right side for Lane Johnson. He’s not a physical freak like some on this list, but he is a decade-plus-long starter in the league.

30. Baltimore Ravens: LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is coming off a knee injury, but when healthy, he is the best off-ball linebacker in this class. Because of the injury, he may fall to later in Round 1 than he should, and at that point, he can become a patented Ravens value pick who will become the successor to Roquan Smith.

31. Buffalo Bills: WR Nick Marsh, Indiana

If D.J. Moore still has his old juice and Keon Coleman has a breakout third season, the Bills may be set at WR. If not, it’s back to the first-round drawing board, and Indiana-via-Michigan-State wideout Nick Marsh may be just what they need. He is in a position to be Omar Cooper Jr. 2.0 this season, and that makes for some interesting pro prospects.

32. Cleveland Browns (via Rams): EDGE Anthony Smith, Minnesota

With the next potential franchise QB in the mix, the Browns can turn toward the defense and replace Myles Garrett. Anthony Smith is an intriguing prospect at 6-foot-6, 280 pounds. He can set an edge and has enough juice to bend around a tackle and get after the quarterback. He’s a high-floor player at worst, and with that body, he could become a nightmare matchup.

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