ESPN ranks – Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Drew Mestemaker, CJ Carr and Darian Mensah are at the front of ESPN’s early look at the 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class, with Matt Miller and Jordan Reid placing them in slightly different orders. The rankings center on what these p
Even this far from the 2027 NFL Draft, quarterbacks are already being sorted into tiers of expectation. ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid recently ranked the early Top 5 quarterbacks in the 2027 class. and the names look familiar—along with two career pivots that could decide who turns hype into hardware.
Miller’s Top 5 quarterbacks in the 2027 class begins with Arch Manning (Texas) at No. 1, followed by Dante Moore (Oregon) at No. 2. Miller then lists Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) at No. 3, CJ Carr (Notre Dame) at No. 4, and Darian Mensah (Miami) at No. 5.
Reid’s Top 5 is nearly the same, but the order shifts. Arch Manning (Texas) is again No. 1, with Dante Moore (Oregon) at No. 2. Darian Mensah (Miami) is placed at No. 3 by Reid, with CJ Carr (Notre Dame) at No. 4, and Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) at No. 5.
The difference is clear: Miller sees Mestemaker as the higher upside player in the group, while Reid elevates Mensah above him.
Miller’s toughest call comes in his own ranking of Mestemaker. “Mestemaker. The third-year sophomore followed head coach Eric Morris from North Texas to Oklahoma State after throwing for an FBS-leading 4. 379 passing yards with 34 touchdowns (tied for second in the FBS) to only nine interceptions as a first-year starter in 2025.” Miller points to the size and tools—Mestemaker is listed at 6-foot-4. 211 pounds—but adds a key question. “The 6-foot-4. 211-pounder has the tools. but can he thrive against a higher level of competition?” Miller ends the assessment by saying. “Of all the quarterbacks in this class. Mestemaker has the talent to be a Fernando Mendoza-like riser.”.
Transfer paths sit at the center of both rankings. Mestemaker moved away from North Texas. where he produced as a first-year starter in 2025. and joined Oklahoma State with head coach Eric Morris—who was hired after three seasons coaching the Mean Green. Miller believes Mestemaker will be the third-best quarterback heading into the draft, while Reid’s placement of him at No. 5 suggests the Oklahoma State quarterback’s next leap may take longer to project.
Mensah’s timeline, meanwhile, is built around a different set of moves. Darian Mensah is now with Miami after a one-season stint at Duke and one at Tulane before that. Reid and Miller both include him in the early Top 5, but Reid lists him at No. 3 while Miller places him at No. 5.
Miller’s and Reid’s rankings also connect Mensah to a changing Miami quarterback situation. Mensah takes the reins as the new quarterback after Carson Beck led the Hurricanes to a National Championship appearance.
Manning and Moore sit at the top in both lists, with Arch Manning (Texas) ranked No. 1 by both Miller and Reid and Dante Moore (Oregon) ranked No. 2 by both. Their names carry the biggest hype right now, but the lists don’t pretend the draft ends up looking exactly like early projections.
The top five, in both orderings, still leaves plenty of room for swings—especially once transfers like Drew Mestemaker and Darian Mensah settle into the roles that will define their 2027 draft narratives.
2027 NFL Draft ESPN Matt Miller Jordan Reid Arch Manning Dante Moore Drew Mestemaker CJ Carr Darian Mensah Oklahoma State Miami Oregon Notre Dame Texas quarterback rankings