Fran Duffy’s 2027 NFL Mock Draft: Texas QB Arch Manning, ever heard of him?

Before my summer film study begins for next year’s NFL Draft, I thought I’d do a Mock Draft. Keep in mind, some of these players I have not done ANY work on, and some I already have full scouting reports already written up. These are a lot of the names buzzing around right now while looking ahead to next spring. The draft order is based on the latest Super Bowl odds for next February, so don’t get mad at me with where your team is picking in this draft! 

1 – ARIZONA CARDINALS – QB ARCH MANNING – TEXAS

Everyone soured on Manning after his (checks notes) first career start on the road against one of the best defenses in the country last year, but he improved as the season went on and has all the makings of a future top pick. I studied a couple of games as the season went on last fall, so not enough to form a complete evaluation, but enough that I feel good putting him this high in the draft. I’m banking on more consistency with his high-end flashes this fall, in what will be his second year as a starter. 

2 – MIAMI DOLPHINS – QB DANTE MOORE – OREGON

If the Dolphins have the second pick, it’s going to be a quarterback here over a stud receiver. Miami nabs Moore, who would have been a high pick in the 2026 Draft had he entered. He’s light on his feet, has a smooth release and repetitive accuracy to all three levels of the field. I’m excited to see what he can do in his second full season as the starter in Eugene (although with a different play-caller). A comp I had when watching Moore last fall was C.J. Stroud, who was a top two pick for all the same positive traits Moore has shown in college. 

3 – NEW YORK JETS – WR JEREMIAH SMITH – OHIO STATE

The Jets spent a high pick on a receiver this year and have money invested in Garrett Wilson, but I feel good in saying that you don’t pass on Jeremiah Smith for anyone outside of a certain franchise quarterback. If the Jets were ‘stuck’ at three, I’m sure they’d try to persuade for a slight move up, or maybe they like one of the passers available, but if they stay I think Smith is worth waiting if they aren’t 100 percent sold on the quarterback. He seems to have every trait to be a dominant No. 1 wide receiver. 

4 – LAS VEGAS RAIDERS – WR CAM COLEMAN – TEXAS

Smith is phenomenal, but let’s not throw shade at Cam Coleman. He is awesome in his own right. A big-bodied receiver who can run by defenders or go up and over them to win at the catch point, he leaves what was an anemic Auburn pass game and joins up with Manning down in Austin. I LOVE this combination, and I’m excited to see what they can turn out together this fall. 

5 – CLEVELAND BROWNS – QB LaNORRIS SELLERS – SOUTH CAROLINA

The film was up and down for Sellers this year, and he still has some developing to do, but I’m a believer in the person and in the talent. There’s a new play-caller in town for the Gamecocks, and if the protection can hold up at a higher rate this fall for Sellers, here’s hoping more consistency follows it. An athletic quarterback with a big arm and unique play strength to handle contact both in and out of the pocket, Sellers did not have first-round film last year but he has first-round talent. 

6 – TENNESSEE TITANS – T TREVOR GOOSBY – TEXAS

As of this writing, Goosby has yet to turn 21 years old, and his film last year oozed with potential. A light-footed athlete with great length and grip strength, Goosby started for the first time last fall – and that inexperienced definitely showed at times. This year, I’m expecting more consistency out of him as he’s settled into the left tackle spot, and I believe he’ll be the first guy off the board next spring along the offensive line. He’s got the goods. 

7 – ATLANTA FALCONS – EDGE DYLAN STEWART – SOUTH CAROLINA

At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Stewart has dominated in the SEC since stepping on campus as a true freshman. He’s a long, explosive edge rusher with the ability to turn into an ace off the edge for his future NFL team. The flashes are outstanding; really, really high-end stuff. The trick is getting that level all the time. I thought the run defense and urgency waned a bit in the games I buzzed through. But there’s no denying his ability; he will be hard to pass up on with his traits and profile. 

8 – CAROLINA PANTHERS – CB LEONARD MOORE – NOTRE DAME

Moore has prototypical size at 6-foot-2, 197 pounds, and he pairs that frame with impressive movement skills. He has length to disrupt throws at the catch point and he was productive on the ball last year (five picks and seven PBUs) as a unanimous All-American. I’m excited to do a deeper dive on this player, because from what I’ve seen so far he looks like the real deal. 

9 – NEW ORLEANS SAINTS – EDGE COLIN SIMMONS – TEXAS

Simmons has average size as a pure stand-up edge rusher for the Longhorns. He’s a high-side rusher capable of stealing the edge and turning the corner on his way home to the quarterback. He’s not just a designated rusher, however, because he has a competitive ruggedness to him as a run player as well. I like the player a lot, but on first blush I wasn’t sure that he was quite a Top 10-level of physical specimen. Watching more he grew on me in that area, and I’ll say that he seems to be a bit more consistent on a down-to-down basis than Stewart at this stage.

10 – NEW YORK GIANTS – DT A’MAURI WASHINGTON – OREGON

This is a player I have written up, and I thought so highly of him in his first year as a starter that I actually had him at No. 19 in my Mock Draft 1.0 back in January. With another year of development, I don’t think it’s crazy for Washington to wind up this high in the draft. He has outstanding physical tools with the ability to win with quickness, strength, power and effort. If the skill level rises, so, too, will his draft stock. He could be a guy that is the ‘next Dexter Lawrence’ for this defense. 

11 – WASHINGTON COMMANDERS – WR CHARLIE BECKER – INDIANA

He was the third wheel in that receiving corps to start the season, but down the stretch he became a pivotal piece on the Hoosiers’ run to the National Championship. Becker has prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 207 pounds and, yes, made a bunch of his money on back shoulder fades and option routes inside. What impressed me most, however, was how quickly he was able to gear up to another speed after the catch. He’s not a big stiff out there who will be reliant on jump balls only. I’m hoping to see a more expansive route tree on further film study, but color me intrigued by what I’ve seen thus far. 

12 – NEW YORK JETS (FROM IND) – CB KELLEY JONES – MISSISSIPPI STATE

The Jets get this pick in the Sauce Gardner trade from last fall, and this kid has a skillset you can dream on. Cornerback is a position where I don’t feel completely comfortable until I watch a lot of tape, but I’ll say after watching a lot of his plays on the ball there were some things that really stood out. He made a bunch of plays on the ball down the field on an island. He has a handful of PBUs where he’s in press man. Both of his picks last year came as a result of him overlapping well in zone coverage, which I’m always a sucker for. He’s currently listed 6-foot-4, 195 pounds. There’s a lot to get excited about here before the summer film study.

13 – MINNESOTA VIKINGS – TE JAMARI JOHNSON – OREGON 

Another Oregon tight end in the first round? Don’t rule it out. Johnson reminds me a bit of former first-round pick David Njoku with the way he moves and, as a blocker, he more than gets the job done. I love the way this guy runs his feet and tries to finish defenders down the field. He has a combo skillset that will play well in today’s league; he’s just a different body type at 6-foot-5, 257 pounds. He’s built more like a traditional in-line type, but he still brings the juice as a playmaker. 

14 – PITTSBURGH STEELERS – DL AHMAD MOTEN – MIAMI

Moten likely would have been the first interior lineman off the board had he entered this class, but he chose to go back to the U for another season. Buzzing through his big plays last year you see a little bit of everything. This guy can win with power and push the pocket. He can shoot gaps. He can win with his hands at the top of the rush. He can win early. He can win late. He’s a damn good football player. 

15 – TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS – DL WILL ECHOLES – OLE MISS

Echoles is a squatty defensive tackle who plays with great leverage; he made some outstanding plays against the run where he was square, stacked the block and got off contact to find the football. He consistently plays so low to the ground and wins the leverage battle. He has a tight strike zone for guards to hit in pass pro and he has the quickness to win off the ball and the surge to win late. He’s a fun watch.

16 – JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS – T JORDAN SEATON – LSU

The Colorado transfer settles into a new offense with Lane Kiffin and gets to put his skillset on display on a weekly basis in the SEC, where he’ll face an impressive gauntlet of rushers. Seaton is a former five-star recruit with tools to develop, but I’m not sure that he’s quite lived up to the hype. Of all the players in the top half of round one, he’s the one I feel the least confident in at this point BEFORE actually studying the tape, but I hope I’m wrong! 

17 – NEW YORK JETS (FROM DAL) – QB JAYDEN MAIAVA – USC

The Jets make their third pick in the round with a selection they got in the Quinnen Williams deal from last fall, and they flip it into their potential quarterback of the future. Maiava has taken control of this Lincoln Riley offense and what stood out most when buzzing through some of his best throws from a year ago was his touch. Whether it was on well-timed deep throws or on layered throws over the middle where he had to change his arm speed and feather a pass between a safety and a linebacker, he had the ability to drop the ball in a mailbox from distance. I’m excited to watch more of him as the summer progresses. 

18 – CHICAGO BEARS – EDGE YHONZAE PIERRE – ALABAMA

Pierre turned in eight sacks and 14.5 TFLs last season for the Crimson Tide, and with his combination of length and athleticism he’s going to be viewed as a very intriguing option off the edge. If the upward trajectory continues, I think we could be talking about a top half of the first round type of talent. The flashes are really strong. 

19 – CINCINNATI BENGALS – EDGE BOUBACAR TRAORE – NOTRE DAME

Traore  has some juice off the edge, leading the team in sacks and TFLs last year as a sophomore, I think the arrow is pointing up. I liked the effort he showed to chase plays down from the backside and he has the athleticism to work into the first-round conversation.

20 – DENVER BRONCOS – EDGE DAMON WILSON – MIAMI

Wilson finished third in the SEC in sacks last year for Missouri and now moves on to Miami as a fill-in for a pair of first-rounders. Can he follow in their stead? The rising senior is a good athlete with explosiveness that shows up in his get-off and closing burst. If I were to pick nits, there were too many reps last year where I thought he was blocked too easily, especially by smaller bodies, but if he can knock that off while playing for Jason Taylor, Mario Cristobal and company, he’s a guy whom I could see going in this range. 

21 – HOUSTON TEXANS – RB AHMAD HARDY – MISSOURI

I only wanted to put one running back into this one, but I had gotten feedback on a couple of options. Hardy could slip out of the first because of his lack of pass game production (something I’m sure they’ll try to rectify this fall), but watching this guy play through contact and bounce off blocks as a runner, he was so reminiscent of former first-round pick Doug Martin. He’s strong, looks smooth on lateral cuts, and while he’s not a pure home-run hitter, I like how much yardage he can create for himself. That’s a lot of the same things we said about Ashton Jeanty when he went in the Top 10 in 2025.

22 – DETROIT LIONS – EDGE JOHN HENRY DALEY – MICHIGAN

Daley was a productive pass rusher for the Utes last season and followed his coach, Kyle Whittingham from Utah to the Wolverines. Standing 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, he wins with power and strength. He got off to a scorching hot start last year in Salt Lake City but fizzled down the stretch; if he can maintain over the course of the season this year in the Big 10 it will do wonders for his draft stock.

23 – LOS ANGELES CHARGERS – WR OMARION MILLER – ARIZONA STATE

An incoming transfer from Colorado, Miller showed some good flashes last year with the Buffaloes as a three-level threat on offense. He has enough speed to threaten vertically, but I liked the flashes of him adjusting to the football and finishing down the field. He has route running chops. He churned out some yards after the catch. I’m excited to see what he looks like as the potential new lead man in the Kenny Dillingham offense this fall. 

24 – SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – T CARTER SMITH – INDIANA

We keep mocking offensive linemen to San Francisco … at some point they’ll take one! When I studied Smith in the fall, on the off chance that he declared for this draft after their playoff run, I saw a player who lacked a Pro Bowl ceiling but who had the floor to be a pretty good starter in the league. He’s athletic. He’s tough. He’s strong. He’s played both tackle spots and could potentially kick inside in the league. That’s a winning profile. 

25 – DALLAS COWBOYS (FROM GB) – WR RYAN WINGO – TEXAS 

The Cowboys traded one of their firsts but maintain the second one (collected from Green Bay in the Micah Parsons trade) to make this selection, and here they address the offensive side of the ball with Wingo. A big-bodied pass catcher who can roll with the ball in his hands, Wingo reminded me some of 2023 second-round pick Rashee Rice. With Coleman in the fold, I’ll be interested to see how his role in the passing game changes, but I think there is room for both of these guys to eat while catching passes from Manning in the offense. 

26 – NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS – S KJ BOLDEN – GEORGIA

Obviously we don’t know if the Patriots will have this pick a few weeks from now, BUT, until then … maybe they’d take a guy like Bolden? The rising junior makes his hay as a split safety and top-down defender in Kirby Smart’s defense. He doesn’t overwhelm you with physical traits (at least not that I’ve seen so far in limited exposures) but he seems to find the ball and appears to be a reliable run defender. 

27 – PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – T NIKI PRONGOS – STANFORD 

Prongos has the ability to be next year’s Max Iheanachor. I had him graded in the same exact tier last fall as he pondered entering the 2026 Draft. Standing 6-foot-7, 315 pounds, Prongos didn’t play football until his senior year of high school, where he promptly tore his ACL three games into the season. He walked on at UCLA with no offers (obviously), and spent three seasons there as a backup before transferring to Stanford last fall and taking over on the left side. This guy is an effortless mover. He has great range with really impressive flashes in both the run and pass games. Development needed? Yes. But they don’t make a lot of guys with his tools. Iheanachor had up-and-down tape but flashed so well during the process that he got drafted just outside the Top 20 in a weaker draft. It wouldn’t shock me if Prongos challenged for a similar spot in a stronger year, but for now I’ll just plant my flag at this point in Round One. 

28 – KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – T ANDREW GENTRY – BYU

Throw Gentry onto the Prongos pile here. This is another west coast offensive lineman who is flying under the radar right now, nationally, but I think by the time we get to next April he could be talked about in this vain. The Michigan transfer has real pop in the run game and some good flashes with his athleticism out in space in the screen game as well. There are things to clean up in pass protection, but at 6-foot-8, 315 pounds he has the frame and traits to work into the Top 32.

29 – BALTIMORE RAVENS – CB JALEN MAYO – HOUSTON

Flag plant! Mayo transferred to Houston this offseason from Stephen F. Austin, but at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds there is buzz building on this player already now that he’s transferred to Houston and, with a strong senior year and pre-draft process, could play his way into round one. He plays the right position (teams are always looking for corners) and has the physical dimensions you can dream on. Maybe he only ends up being a Day 2 pick, or maybe he fizzles with the step up in competition and goes early Day 3, but he’s a name to be aware of going into the fall!

30 – SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – DL MATEEN IBIROGBA – TEXAS TECH 

I studied Ibirogba last fall when he was at Wake Forest and with his athleticism and versatility along the front I could see him playing his way into this part of the draft. At 6-foot-3, 296 pounds, he has a good motor, a first step that really stands out on tape and the quickness to consistently set up shop on the other side of the line of scrimmage. If he can prove to get a bit stronger this fall, he’ll have the well-rounded skillset to be a full-time starter in the league.

31 – BUFFALO BILLS – WR RYAN WILLIAMS – ALABAMA

I’ll take a swing here, because Williams looked like a future Top 15 pick as a freshman at Alabama (so much so that he was put on the cover of the NCAA video game last summer), but drops plagued his sophomore season. If he can return to form, he’ll be in the Top 30. If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t put him into this discussion at all. 

32 – LOS ANGELES RAMS –  T JACARRIUS PEAK – SOUTH CAROLINA

The Rams are currently the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl next year, and if they do I don’t think we’ll hear anyone wondering why they selected Ty Simpson with the 13th pick of the draft this spring. Peak can add a young reinforcement to the offensive front. He’s an explosive athlete for his size with raw, natural power to create movement on first contact. I think he fits in perfectly with the way they want to play, and while it’s probably a safer bet to see him on Day 2 I could see him working his way into the first 32 selections by next April.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• I did not include any players who were rising redshirt sophomores, unless I had already put the work in on studying them on tape. That list includes QB Julian Sayin (Ohio State), QB CJ Carr (Notre Dame) and QB Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State). It is entirely possible those guys could enter the 2027 NFL Draft, but I’m leaving them off for now as a personal choice. Which brings me to a larger point about the quarterback position, in particular. 

• There’s been a lot written and talked about in regards to the 2026 quarterback class and how it didn’t live up to expectation and how they were overhyped as a group. In a way, I agree, but – also – it should be noted that a lot of the players we talked about for this spring’s draft ended up going back to school. They also happen to be players that we continue to be excited about. I think the proper way to think about the position these days is more about the pipeline, or the landscape as a whole. There are a lot of young, talented, promising quarterbacks coming into the NFL soon. Maybe it’s next spring. Maybe it’s the year after. But there are a lot of players worth getting excited about.
  
• Again, keep in mind that I have done minimal work on most of these players, and a lot can change in 12 months. How much can things evolve? In last spring’s version previewing the 2026 Draft, here’s how the 32 players actually ended up:
  • Round One: 13
  • Day 2: 8
  • Day 3: 4
  • Undrafted: 3
  • Back To School: 4