One year ago, the 2027 quarterback class in the NFL Draft was seen as a general can't-miss. The picture looks much blurrier after inconsistent starts and poor performance across the sport. On Monday, CBS Sports' Mike Renner released his newest mock draft -- and it skipped over some big names.
Specifically, Renner pointed to Dante Moore, Julian Sayin, CJ Carr and LaNorris Sellers as names he kept off the list as he believed they would return to school. Needless to say, those four figures returning would be a major dent in the quality of the draft class, but maybe it shouldn't be a surprise. We're reaching a moment in college football where returning to school and improving your craft can be a financially prudent decision, especially with the amount of money on the table.
Adding to the complication, many players were granted a fifth year of eligibility over the offseason, giving them even more opportunity. With that in mind, we're going through and evaluating just how shocking it would be to see a few of the top quarterback draft prospects return to school. We're including the four that Renner identified in his mock draft, along with a few other top prospects with years remaining.
A 1 on our shock meter means it would be no surprise if this player returned to school. A 10 means turning down the draft would be stunning. Plenty of assumptions were made about Moore after a terrifying head injury against USC, but thankfully, there were no long-term consequences.
While head injuries can be fickle, Moore should be back after a few games and healthy long before the postseason and NFL Draft cycle come into play. Thinking a little conservatively about Moore's status makes sense, but a return to school would be complicated for a multitude of reasons. For one, Moore -- frankly -- has not made a notable jump with another offseason of work.
He should still remain a first-round prospect, but another year of similar tape would start to lead to some prospect fatigue. Oregon has another quarterback waiting in the wings in fellow former five-star Dylan Raiola. The Nebraska transfer played very well in his absence, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns on 11.6 yards per attempt.
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