2027 NFL Draft: Early QB Rankings Entering Summer Scouting

Who Are the Top Quarterback Prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft?

The top quarterback prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft entering the summer scouting window include Dante Moore, Arch Manning, Trinidad Chambliss, C.J. Bailey, LaNorris Sellers, DJ Lagway, CJ Carr, Julian Sayin, Brendan Sorsby, and Drew Mestemaker. This class already carries more early buzz than the 2025 and 2026 quarterback groups, with enough depth, physical upside, and developmental variance to potentially rival the 2024 NFL Draft quarterback class, when six quarterbacks were selected in the first round, all within the first 12 picks.

The 2027 group is not there yet, but the early projection is strong. The hype will likely be aggressive, and some of it may get ahead of the tape, but the foundation is legitimate. NFL scouts and executives have already discussed this class as a rare quarterback cycle because of its mix of high-end talent, depth, and potential first-round volume.

How Football Scout 365 Uses Grade Tiers to Project 2027 NFL Draft Ceiling

These rankings are built around two evaluation points: current Football Scout 365 grade and ceiling pathway. That distinction matters at quarterback because the best current grade does not always mean the highest long-term ceiling. Some passers enter summer scouting with cleaner 2025 tape and more stable starter-level traits, while others carry more volatility but have the physical tools, production profile, or developmental runway to make a larger jump in 2026.

The tiers below are designed to separate three different quarterback profiles:

• Tier 1: Strongest current grades and most stable 2025 tape.

• Tier 2: Toolsy quarterbacks with NFL-coveted physical traits and major jump potential.

• Tier 3: Profile-dependent risers who need a specific 2026 validation point, whether that is more starts, Power 4 translation, durability, physical consistency, or elevated production in a new offensive environment.

That is the purpose of summer scouting. The current grade shows where the tape stands today. The ceiling pathway shows which quarterbacks have the talent profile, situation, or developmental runway to change the board once live games begin.

Tier 1: Strongest Current Grades / Most Stable 2025 Profile

Scouting question: Who has the cleanest current evaluation?

This tier is built around the quarterbacks with the cleanest 2025 tape and strongest current Football Scout 365 grades. Their evaluations are not based purely on projection. They have already shown enough accuracy, decision-making, production, and week-to-week stability to enter summer scouting near the top of the board. The next step is proving that profile holds up in 2026 against better pressure plans, tighter coverage looks, and the remaining arm-strength or pocket-consistency questions.

Dante Moore | QB | Oregon

Current Tier: High-End Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite

Dante Moore is the top-graded quarterback entering summer scouting because of his 2025 tape and the growth he showed as a passer. His grade is built on layered accuracy, touch, rhythm, and intermediate timing. He would have been a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft because of quarterback demand and the lack of depth in that class, but he returned to Oregon with a chance to strengthen the overall profile. At 6’3”, 206 pounds, he fits a pro-spread or play-action system that lets him work from structure and attack leverage windows, with his next-tier jump tied to driving deeper outside throws and maintaining mechanics when pressure affects his base.

Trinidad Chambliss | QB | Ole Miss

Current Tier: High-End Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite

Trinidad Chambliss brings mobility, instincts, accuracy, ball security, and off-script playmaking, with meaningful starting experience across Ferris State and Ole Miss. At 6’0”, 200 pounds, his size and overall measurables will be debated, similar to other quarterbacks in this tier who lack elite physical profiles. The appeal is the Russell Wilson-style creativity, playmaking feel, and ability to stress defenses in spread/RPO or play-action structures when the play moves outside structure. Like Dante Moore, Chambliss returned to school instead of entering a weaker 2026 QB class, where his playmaking profile could have pushed him into the Day 1 discussion. He does not have the strongest arm, but if the decision-making, playmaking efficiency, and week-to-week consistency continue to elevate in 2026, his stock can keep rising.

Tier 2: Toolsy Profiles With Major Jump Potential

Scouting question: Who has the biggest ceiling if the tape catches up?

This tier is built around quarterbacks whose physical traits can move the board quickly. Some already carry stronger current grades, while others still need the tape to catch up, but all of them have tools NFL teams are willing to bet on early. If the accuracy, processing, pocket management, and consistency improve in 2026, this group has the clearest path to a major jump.

Arch Manning | QB | Texas

Current Tier: High-End Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite/Elite

Arch Manning has the traits to make a two-tier jump in 2026 if the passing profile catches up to the tools. At 6’4”, 220 pounds, he brings the size, arm talent, mobility, creation ability, production, and pedigree NFL teams covet at the top of the draft. Even if the grade stays in the same tier, his ceiling is strong enough that quarterback-needy teams picking in the top 10 will still view him as a legitimate Day 1 option. With 15 career starts already, another full season could push him into the ideal 30-start range, but his climb depends on improved accuracy, footwork, and progression speed across a full season.

C.J. Bailey | QB | NC State

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite / Elite

C.J. Bailey is one of the most intriguing quarterbacks in the 2027 NFL Draft class because the physical foundation is difficult to find. At 6’6”, 210 pounds, he has prototype NFL size, a strong arm, pocket toughness, solid touch, and enough mobility to extend plays when the pocket breaks down. He already has meaningful experience with 22 career starts at NC State and returns in 2026 as a soon-to-be three-year starter. The tools are ahead of the grade right now, but if the pressure answers, deep-ball placement, full-field processing, and turnover management continue to improve, Bailey has the profile to push toward the top of the class.

LaNorris Sellers | QB | South Carolina

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite / Elite

LaNorris Sellers may be the most talented quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft class from a pure tools standpoint. At 6’3”, 240 pounds, he brings rare play strength, a live arm, elite break-sack ability, designed-run value, and vertical passing upside, along with 24 career starts and real dual-threat production. His grade sits lower because the pocket timing, ball placement, decision-making, and negative-play avoidance still need to improve, though some of those timing issues are tied to the situation around him at South Carolina. If those areas clean up in 2026, Sellers has the talent profile to make one of the biggest jumps on the board.

DJ Lagway | QB | Baylor

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite / Elite

DJ Lagway is a physical-traits bet with one of the biggest arms in the 2027 quarterback class. At 6’3”, 245 pounds, he brings rare arm strength, off-platform creation, functional mobility, and the ability to access throws most quarterbacks cannot. After starting all 12 games at Florida in 2025, he now steps from the SEC into the Big 12 at Baylor, where the offensive environment could help unlock more rhythm and confidence. The ceiling is high, but the 2026 jump depends on improved accuracy, cleaner footwork, better coverage recognition, and cutting down the turnover volatility.

Brendan Sorsby | QB | Texas Tech

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite

Brendan Sorsby is a true physical-traits evaluation with the size, arm strength, rushing value, and play strength to keep NFL teams interested. At 6’3”, 235 pounds, he has 31 career starts across Indiana, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech, giving him one of the more experienced résumés in the class. The tools are clearly NFL-caliber in a spread/RPO or play-action structure, but the projection remains volatile because the processing speed, pocket patience, footwork, and accuracy still need to become more consistent. His indefinite leave for gambling addiction treatment also adds a real availability and evaluation variable entering 2026.

Tier 3: Profile-Dependent Risers / More Validation Needed

Scouting question: Who needs the most specific 2026 proof point?

This tier is not a downgrade as much as a checkpoint. These quarterbacks have NFL traits, but their 2026 evaluations need to answer a more specific question than the players above them. Some need a larger starting sample, some need to prove their production travels against stronger competition, and others need health, consistency, or a new offensive environment to lift the profile. The path upward is still there, but this group has more to validate before the projection becomes secure.

CJ Carr | QB | Notre Dame

Current Tier: High-End Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite if the starting sample validates the profile

CJ Carr has the physical traits and passing foundation to push into the next tier, but the evaluation still needs more starting experience and week-to-week consistency. At 6’3”, 210 pounds, he brings timing, intermediate accuracy, clean mechanics, efficient decision-making, and enough movement skill to slide, climb, and reset from the pocket. He is not a true creation-based passer, so the 2026 tape needs to confirm he can maintain rhythm, ball placement, and progression discipline when pressure forces him off his spot.

Drew Mestemaker | QB | Oklahoma State

Current Tier: High-End Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite if the Power 4 transition validates the profile

Drew Mestemaker is one of the more unusual risers in the 2027 NFL Draft quarterback group. He did not start a varsity game at quarterback in high school, walked on at North Texas, flashed in his 2024 bowl start, then started all 14 games in 2025 before transferring to Oklahoma State. His timing, RPO processing, intermediate accuracy, and high-volume spread production are enough to keep him in the High-End Starter range, but the 2026 tape has to prove the release point, play strength, and passing profile translate against Power 4 competition.

Julian Sayin | QB | Ohio State

Current Tier: High-End Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: Near Elite

Julian Sayin has one of the better timing and accuracy profiles in the class, but he still needs more starting experience with only 14 career starts. At 6’1”, 208 pounds, he wins with anticipation, release quickness, rhythm, and controlled ball placement in a West Coast or pro-spread structure. The next step is proving the arm strength, play strength, pressure response, and off-script answers can hold up as the sample grows and defenses get more tape on him.

Darian Mensah | QB | Miami

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: High-End Starter Potential with a Miami-driven rise

Darian Mensah brings one of the more experienced rhythm-passer profiles in the class, with 27 career starts across Tulane and Duke before transferring to Miami. His game is built on intermediate accuracy, ball placement, timing, and poise from structure, giving him a cleaner projection than many lower-graded, toolsy quarterbacks. Like Dante Moore and Trinidad Chambliss, Mensah could have entered the 2026 NFL Draft but returned to school with a chance to raise his stock. The path upward depends on whether Miami’s supporting cast helps him play with more consistency, push the ball more efficiently, and create the type of production jump that can move him into the High-End Starter range.

Jayden Maiava | QB | USC

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: High-End Starter Potential

Jayden Maiava brings a big-framed rhythm-passer profile with 24 career starts across UNLV and USC. At roughly 6’4”, 225-230 pounds, his grade is built on size, functional arm talent, intermediate accuracy, and production inside USC’s pro-spread structure. The 2026 test is whether his processing, pressure response, risk management, and late-down creation improve enough to move him from a developmental QB2 profile into the High-End Starter range.

Sam Leavitt | QB | LSU

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: High-End Starter Potential

Sam Leavitt brings mobility, ball security, competitive toughness, and enough arm talent to create explosives in a spread or pro-spread offense. He has 20 career starts from his time at Arizona State, where he went 16-4 as the starter, including an 11-2 run in 2024 that helped push the Sun Devils into the College Football Playoff. The LSU fit gives him a strong platform if he can operate through RPOs, play-action, quick game, and moving launch points. The 2026 evaluation also carries a durability layer after his October 2025 Lisfranc injury, surgery, and April 2026 follow-up procedure, making summer and fall camp clearance a key checkpoint for his grade.

Drake Lindsey | QB | Minnesota

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: High-End Starter Potential

Drake Lindsey is a legitimate summer scouting riser with a pro frame, strong arm, quick release, and pocket toughness. At 6’5”, 230 pounds, he started all 13 games for Minnesota in 2025, throwing for 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions while setting a program freshman QB wins record. The appeal is the vertical pocket-passer profile, but the next step is proving better accuracy, consistency, anticipation, full-field processing, and pressure answers in 2026.

Josh Hoover | QB | Indiana

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential / High-End Starter borderline

Ceiling Path: High-End Starter Potential, with a Day 2 rise if Indiana validates the profile

Josh Hoover brings one of the most experienced and productive résumés in the class, with 31 starts at TCU and back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons before transferring to Indiana. His game is built on processing, anticipation, release quickness, rhythm passing, and full-field distribution, giving him a strong structure-based projection. The concern is that the frame, arm strength, athletic profile, and velocity consistency are not high-end traits, so his 2026 jump depends on proving the efficiency translates outside TCU’s Air Raid structure and into a Big Ten schedule.

John Mateer | QB | Oklahoma

Current Tier: Mid-Level Starter Potential

Ceiling Path: High-End Starter Potential if the passing profile stabilizes

John Mateer is a creation-based dual-threat quarterback with 24 career starts across Washington State and Oklahoma. At 6’1”, 218 pounds, he brings mobility, toughness, off-script playmaking, and real rushing production, but he does not have the rare physical tools of the Tier 2 group. His path upward depends on whether the accuracy, deep-ball touch, timing discipline, and decision-making from the pocket become consistent enough in 2026 to support a full NFL passing-game projection.