The 2027 draft class certainly has talent on paper, but will it come to fruition when spring rolls around? Oregon's Dante Moore returning to school this year when all signs pointed to him being a likely first-round pick may be the start of a trend. All but two quarterbacks in the top 10 below have eligibility remaining beyond this fall.
With NIL "salaries" for college quarterbacks sometimes outweighing those of quarterbacks taken outside the top 10 of the NFL Draft, it's no longer an obvious choice to make the jump as soon as possible. So while there look to be numerous first-rounders on paper right now, a strong class at other positions may convince some quarterback prospects to exhaust their eligibility. Positional rankings: IOL • S • LB • DT • TE • OT • RB • CB • EDGE • WR • QB Note: ⭐️ represents each player's 247Sports star rating as a high school recruit Even if you take away the name and focus on the game, Arch Manning is still the No. 1 prospect in this class.
What gets underrated when discussing the Texas quarterback is just how physically gifted he is. Take away the mental side of the game that having the last name Manning might give him a leg up on and focus purely on what Manning can do physically -- and he is still the best in the class. He has a truly freakish combination of speed and arm talent.
Arch Manning reached 21.7 mph, the fastest max speed by a QB this season recorded by us. #ReelSpeed https://t.co/kBJlPEmz28 pic.twitter.com/gZTbAW9ytO Then there's the pocket presence, eye manipulation and touch throws that only come from being in a quarterback factory from the time he was born. It's truly all there for him to join the ranks of his uncles someday. Elite Pocket Movement from Arch Manning 🎯 pic.twitter.com/V0YWo2atBM Now it's just about poise and consistency.
It's easy to kill him for some of the ugly tape he put out early last year, but at the same time, he was in a pressure cooker unlike anything a college quarterback had ever experienced. I want to preface this by saying I know this is incredibly lofty, and I'm not putting this career arc on him at all: When I watched Drew Mestemaker for the first time last year at North Texas, it was the same feeling I had watching Drake Maye in his first year starting at North Carolina. From the big frame to the effortless arm talent to the legit wheels they keep under wraps until needed, there are a lot of physical similarities.
It's the way they play the position, though, that really jumped out to me. Both are feel quarterbacks while still being technically sound. They are not robots playing the position but athletes who find answers that suit each unique situation.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
