Now that the NFL 53-man rosters are set and Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is less than a week away, the energy is really shifting toward the 2027 NFL Draft class and which of the intriguing top talents will land at No. 1. Naturally, we start at quarterback, where the Arch Manning vs. Dante Moore hype is set to trigger both debate and fascination.
In this edition of the 2027 NFL Mock Draft Roundup, we look at two mock drafts from CBS Sports and USA Today where the choice for the top pick is unanimous, although the teams selecting No. 1 are different.
With the depth of quarterback talent, the Manning vs. Moore debate could become obsolete if another top talent emerges as the darling of the QB class or if either or both favorites don't live up to the hype and underwhelm in the spotlight.
Will it be Manning, the quarterback with the NFL bloodline and elite arm, or will it be Moore, the elite "pure passer" who already showcases the maturity to lead an NFL team?
CBS Sports NFL Mock Draft: Manning lands in South Beach
As a team going through a roster rebuild, the Miami Dolphins are projected to hold at least a top-three pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. If they land the top spot, the choice for CBS Sports' Mike Renner is Manning to Miami, assuming Malik Willis can't work his magic in South Beach.
Renner writes:
"I wrote at the end of last year how the Manning down the stretch in 2025 was the one many expected. If he's that guy for a full season, then this is a no-brainer. If the Dolphins are drafting No. 1 overall, it likely means the Malik Willis experiment didn't pay off dividends. Manning would be stepping into a very rough situation, but at least it's one that's already gone through a fire sale. The Dolphins are top three in cap space the next two offseasons to build around their young quarterback."
It would be a tough situation for any young quarterback, but with the young talent they infused into the roster via the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dolphins look to be headed in the right direction. Selecting Manning would give the franchise some positive buzz after a couple of seasons in which the team has traded top talent out of Miami.
USA Today NFL Mock Draft: Manning lands in Arizona
What if the Arizona Cardinals hold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft? In his NFL Mock Draft, USA Today Sports' Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has the team selecting Manning with the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
With Mike LaFleur as head coach, the Cardinals' offense should be improved with top-three pick Jeremiyah Love at running back and established playmakers like tight end Trey McBride enhancing the offense. If Marvin Harrison Jr. can have a Year 3 breakout season, the Cardinals could be a QB away from something special.
Is Manning the right fit?
Middlehurst-Schwartz writes:
"Though the hype for Manning was unquestionably premature at this point a year ago, it was clear by season's end that it wasn't without merit. With a preternatural feel for the position and the tools to create opportunities by evading the rush, Manning is the kind of ascendant talent any coaching staff would sign up for, even if he's not a finished product. In Arizona, he'd instantly provide relevance to a franchise that can't make up considerable ground in the NFC West if it continues to coast behind center."
The consensus in both mock drafts is that Manning will go No. 1 overall. While both Renner and Middlehurst-Schwartz lay the foundation for why the Dolphins and Cardinals should jump at the opportunity to land Manning, each of those franchises will need to consider Manning's inconsistency in 2025. The elite talent is there, and the storyline of another Manning entering the NFL will be buzzworthy, but which QB makes the team selecting No. 1 overall relevant right away?
NFL Mocks: Dante Moore gets the edge
In our latest Top 10 NFL Mock Draft, we have the Cardinals holding the No. 1 overall pick and going with Moore over Manning. There's an entire NFL and college football season ahead of us that could change the landscape, but going off his 2025 performance, Moore is the quarterback who can be a foundational piece in Year 1, especially playing for a coach like LaFleur with playmakers already around him in key roles.
Coming off the Kyler Murray roller coaster, the Cardinals will be a team evaluating each of the top quarterbacks closely, obviously. They will also take a deeper look at what they have in Carson Beck. But at this stage of the game, Moore under center in the desert would give LaFleur a quarterback who could excel in the West Coast system with his quick-trigger release, calmness in the pocket and ability to get the ball down the field when needed.
To round it up, Manning may be the quarterback mock drafts are predicting as the first name called off the board in April, but is Moore the quarterback better prepared for immediate NFL greatness?
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