The 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class entered the season with plenty of hype, and through the opening weeks of college football, the top names are ballin’.
Arch Manning, Dante Moore and CJ Carr have each had moments that showed why they entered the season among the top quarterback prospects in the class. But with several other quarterbacks making statements of their own, the race to be QB1 is already starting to heat up.
Through two weeks, big numbers have mattered, but so have clutch performances, adversity and the ability to take over when a team needs it most. And when all of that is factored in, the race for the top spot has taken an early turn.
2027 NFL Draft QB rankings: The top 5
Rank | Quarterback | School |
|---|---|---|
1 | Arch Manning | Texas |
2 | Dante Moore | Oregon |
3 | Darian Mensah | Miami |
4 | CJ Carr | Notre Dame |
5 | Julian Sayin | Ohio State |
No. 1 Arch Manning, Texas
Arch Manning’s signature game wasn’t his best performance, which makes Saturday’s 24-23 comeback victory over No. 1 Ohio State such an important moment in Manning’s quest to win the Heisman Trophy and establish himself as the top quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Through two games, Manning has thrown for more than 500 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. But it was how he responded to adversity with the Longhorns trailing 23-3 against the Buckeyes that catapulted him to the top of these rankings.
It was a tale of two halves for Manning and the Texas offense. The Longhorns couldn’t get anything rolling early, and a big drop by Cam Coleman that led to a first-quarter interception set the tone for what looked like another lackluster performance against Ohio State.
But Manning stuck with it. The 6-foot-4, 222-pound quarterback showed off his arm talent, athleticism and toughness in the pocket while leading the Longhorns all the way back. More importantly from an NFL Draft perspective, Manning showed the poise and competitiveness you want to see from a potential franchise quarterback, leading Texas to a comeback victory that launched the Longhorns to the No. 1 ranking in the nation.
No. 2 Dante Moore, Oregon
Statistically, Dante Moore has outperformed Arch Manning through the first two weeks of the season, but an upset loss to Oklahoma State has not only dropped Oregon in the national rankings, it has also contributed to Moore coming in at No. 2 in these rankings.
In a team sport, Dan Lanning needs to figure out what’s going on with his Ducks. Oregon has found itself in two tight games to start the season, and against Boise State, it took a heroic individual effort from Moore to lead the Ducks to victory. The Oregon quarterback completed 28 of 37 passes for a career-high 378 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Against Oklahoma State, Moore couldn’t quite repeat those heroics and lead his team all the way back. What he did prove, however, is that with him under center, the Ducks are never completely out of a game.
Despite struggling offensively early against the Cowboys in Week 2, Moore once again showed NFL scouts that he has a bit of the clutch gene. These early tests keep him firmly in the conversation to be the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. He is an efficient quarterback with the arm talent and confidence to take over a game once he finds his rhythm, which he did during the second half against Oklahoma State.
As the hype surrounding this 2027 quarterback class continues to build, Moore and Manning are showcasing one trait NFL teams will love: resilience. Through two weeks, that trait has separated them from the rest of the pack in these rankings.
No. 3 Darian Mensah, Miami
When it comes to resilience, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah simply hasn’t been tested so far in the 2026 college football season because he has been so dominant. In the classic case of “who have you played?” Mensah mania is taking over South Beach because of how explosive the Hurricanes’ offense has looked through the first two weeks.
Following a 45-6 beatdown of Stanford in Week 1, Mensah and the Hurricanes completely rocked Florida A&M 77-7. Mensah was nearly perfect, completing 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. With Miami putting the game away early, Mensah didn’t even play in the second half, which makes his start to the season even more impressive.
Through just six quarters, Mensah has thrown for 653 yards and eight touchdowns, skyrocketing his NFL Draft stock and making him an early Heisman Trophy contender. If he continues to command this Hurricanes offense the way he has through two weeks, he could threaten both Moore and Manning for the top spot in these rankings and ultimately the top spot in the 2027 NFL Draft.
What will determine Mensah’s overall draft status is how well he responds when adversity finally hits. How does he respond when his team is facing an uphill battle? How will he perform when the competition gets tougher? Games like the Week 5 matchup at Clemson and the Week 10 battle against CJ Carr and Notre Dame should give NFL scouts a much better answer.
No. 4 CJ Carr, Notre Dame
CJ Carr coming in at No. 4 makes his upcoming battle with Mensah and the Hurricanes one of those head-to-head quarterback matchups to circle on your calendar.
While Carr hasn’t put up the eye-popping statistics of Mensah, his efficiency stands out through the first two games of the season. Following a 41-13 win over Wisconsin in Week 1, Carr led the Fighting Irish to a 52-0 shellacking of Rice in Week 2.
In that game, Carr showed off that efficiency by completing 16 of 20 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns. Through two games, he has completed 71.4 percent of his passes while making his own early statement in the Heisman Trophy race. Beyond the numbers, his Pro Football Focus (PFF) overall grade of 94.3 tells the story of just how effective Carr has been in orchestrating a Notre Dame offense that doesn’t have to rely solely on its aerial attack.
When it comes to his NFL Draft stock, quarterback-needy teams will be intrigued by Carr’s accuracy, poise and ability to move the ball down the field by making the right decisions and taking what the defense gives him. Aside from the matchup against Miami, another huge test for Carr will come a couple of weeks earlier when Notre Dame takes on BYU in Week 7.
However, Carr and the Fighting Irish can’t look too far ahead. Their next matchup against the 2-0 Michigan State Spartans gives Carr another opportunity to strengthen his case as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2027 NFL Draft class.
No. 5 Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Julian Sayin certainly isn’t hurting his status as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2027 NFL Draft class. Like everyone ranked ahead of him, Sayin has lived up to the hype, passing for 598 yards with four touchdowns and one interception through the first two games.
There is certainly an argument for Sayin over CJ Carr, especially considering it took a heroic effort from Arch Manning to knock off Ohio State. But that game is also part of the reason Sayin comes in at No. 5. He passed for 278 yards and a touchdown against Texas and helped the Buckeyes build a 23-3 lead, but he couldn’t keep the offense rolling in the second half, which opened the door for Manning and the Longhorns to come all the way back.
Maybe that is being a little rough on the sophomore quarterback, but holding off Texas with his arm and pro-level talent would’ve helped put to rest some of the hesitation surrounding Sayin as an NFL Draft prospect. Given that he is just a redshirt sophomore, there is also no guarantee he declares for the 2027 NFL Draft. If he continues to make his case for the Heisman Trophy and does declare, there will still be questions regarding his size and whether some of his success is a product of the talent surrounding him at Ohio State.
The loss to Texas didn’t create those questions, but it did give Sayin an opportunity to answer some of them. With the Buckeyes’ offense sputtering in the second half and the game ending on a Sayin interception, he left the door open for Carr, Mensah, Moore and Manning to stay ahead of him in these early rankings.
Who could crash the top five?
What makes the 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class potentially special is its depth of talent. While Manning, Moore, Mensah, Carr and Sayin round out the top five this week, several other quarterbacks are making their own push toward the first-round conversation.
One of those names is Drew Mestemaker, who orchestrated the upset victory over Moore and Oregon with a gallant effort through the air and on the ground. Just when doubts started to creep in about his NFL Draft stock following a lackluster Week 1 performance, Mestemaker changed the trajectory of his draft stock by throwing for 317 yards and rushing for another 109 yards in the victory.
A few other quarterbacks we are keeping a close eye on are USC’s Jayden Maiava, LSU’s Sam Leavitt and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Each has had his moments through the first two weeks of the season, although Leavitt had to bounce back after throwing three interceptions in a win over Louisiana Tech.
With conference play approaching, the opportunities for these quarterbacks to make their move will only get bigger. The top five may be set for now, but with the depth of this quarterback class, it won’t take much for another name to crash the party.
The question is, who will it be?
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