Rob Rang’s 2027 top 50: Chris Cole is fifth, Trinidad Chambliss is the first quarterback at No. 7 and Darian Mensah falls to 31st

Rob Rang’s new 2027 big board runs 50 players deep and puts six quarterbacks in it, but the first one does not appear until No. 7, and the player who leads the country in completion rate is all the way down at 31st.

Rang published the board on Friday, October 30. Like most evaluators, he has Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith first, comparing him to Julio Jones, “except Smith is even further along in his route-running at this point in his career.” After that, his order differs sharply from Mel Kiper Jr.’s board, updated the same day, especially at quarterback, tackle and defensive tackle.

“We won’t know for certain which prospects will make up the Class of 2027 until mid-January,” Rang wrote, noting that transfer rules and NIL money make players more hesitant than ever to leave school early.

Rang’s top 25

The last column is the NFL player Rang compares each prospect to.

Rank	Player	Pos.	School	NFL comparison
1	Jeremiah Smith	WR	Ohio State	Julio Jones
2	Colin Simmons	DE	Texas	Micah Parsons
3	Leonard Moore	CB	Notre Dame	Christian Gonzalez
4	Dylan Stewart	DE	South Carolina	Brian Burns
5	Chris Cole	LB	Georgia	Fred Warner
6	Charlie Becker	WR	Indiana	Larry Fitzgerald
7	Trinidad Chambliss	QB	Ole Miss	Russell Wilson
8	Elijah Paige	OT	USC	Ronnie Stanley
9	Drew Mestemaker	QB	Oklahoma State	Josh Allen
10	Ashton Hampton	CB	Clemson	Patrick Surtain II
11	Arch Manning	QB	Texas	Justin Herbert
12	Ellis Robinson IV	CB	Georgia	Denzel Ward
13	Greg Johnson	G	Minnesota	Frank Ragnow
14	Nick Marsh	WR	Indiana	Christian Watson
15	Trevor Lauck	OT	Iowa	Chris Lindstrom
16	Dante Moore	QB	Oregon	C.J. Stroud
17	Kade Pieper	C	Iowa	Tyler Linderbaum
18	CJ Carr	QB	Notre Dame	Kirk Cousins
19	Jadan Baugh	RB	Florida	Jonathan Taylor
20	Jordan Seaton	OT	LSU	Olu Fashanu
21	Xavier Gilliam	DT	Tennessee	Nnamdi Madubuike
22	A’Mauri Washington	DT	Oregon	Kenneth Grant
23	Trey’Dez Green	TE	LSU	Kyle Pitts
24	Boubacar Traore	DE	Notre Dame	Laiatu Latu
25	Yhonzae Pierre	DE	Alabama	Derick Hall

Simmons second, Cole fifth

Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons is No. 2 despite a high ankle sprain that could keep him out for weeks. Rang compares him to Micah Parsons and calls him “nearly unblockable,” with 45.5 tackles for loss, 31.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles in two and a half seasons. “The current injury and a troubling track record of penalties push Simmons to No. 2 on my board, but the gap between him and No. 1 is razor thin,” he wrote.

Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore is third and South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart is fourth. Rang says Stewart will be “one of the most heavily scrutinized players this year” because his sack total has dropped in each of his three seasons, but calls the traits worth the gamble.

The biggest gap with Kiper is Georgia linebacker Chris Cole, fifth here and 11th on Kiper’s list. Rang compares his rise to Arvell Reese, who went from part-time starter at Ohio State to the No. 5 overall pick, and says Cole has “a chance to ultimately become the best defender in this class.”

Chris Cole has been named to the Bednarik Award Watchlist ‼️ pic.twitter.com/8bgI6HXOXx

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) October 28, 2026

Six quarterbacks, led by Chambliss

Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss is Rang’s top quarterback at No. 7. “NFL teams won’t repeat the mistake they made with Wilson by letting Chambliss slip to the third round,” he wrote, saying Chambliss has everything a franchise quarterback needs except height.

Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, second overall for Kiper, is ninth. Rang expects comparisons to Josh Allen for his size, mobility and arm, but warns there are “similar concerns about how quickly Mestemaker will adjust” from the Air Raid offense he has played in at Oklahoma State and North Texas.

Texas’ Arch Manning is 11th, far above where most boards now have him. “No quarterback in this class offers a better blend of traits than Manning,” Rang wrote, calling his turnovers in high-pressure moments a red flag that he believes “can be cured with time and patience.” Oregon’s Dante Moore is 16th and could still be a top-10 pick as the most precise passer in the class if he proves he is healthy, and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr is 18th.

Miami’s Darian Mensah, fourth on Kiper’s board and 10th on Charlie Campbell’s, is 31st. Rang calls him his midseason pick to win the Heisman Trophy, but says Mensah relies more on anticipation than arm strength on outbreaking routes and “could struggle to duplicate this success in the NFL.”

A USC tackle at No. 8, Gilliam at 21

Rang’s top offensive tackle is USC’s Elijah Paige at No. 8, a player missing from Kiper’s top 25 and his top five tackles. Paige has allowed two sacks in 27 career starts, all at left tackle. Iowa’s Trevor Lauck is 15th and LSU’s Jordan Seaton, the top tackle in Gilberto Manzano’s top 10 earlier this week, is 20th; Rang says Seaton needs to get stronger and polish his technique, but his upside “warrants a first-round investment.”

Tennessee’s Xavier Gilliam, sixth for Kiper and fifth for Campbell, is 21st, though Rang calls him “one of this year’s flashiest breakout stars” and says he might have the quickest first step of any defensive tackle in the country. Ole Miss’ Will Echoles, a top-20 player on most boards, is 35th after a slow start to his season.

Indiana has two receivers in the top 14: Charlie Becker at No. 6 and Nick Marsh at No. 14. Rang admits he was “late to the party” on Becker and expects Marsh to put up “eye-popping numbers” at the combine.

Nos. 26 to 50

Texas tackle Trevor Goosby is 32nd. Rang says his medical evaluation, which includes open-heart surgery in high school as well as this month’s knee injury, will determine where he goes whenever he enters the draft. Four Oregon players are in the bottom half of the list.

Rank	Player	Pos.	School
26	Kelley Jones	CB	Mississippi State
27	Princewill Umanmielen	DE	LSU
28	Will Heldt	DE	Clemson
29	Kewan Lacy	RB	Ole Miss
30	Jamari Johnson	TE	Oregon
31	Darian Mensah	QB	Miami (FL)
32	Trevor Goosby	OT	Texas
33	Jaylen McClain	S	Ohio State
34	Cam Coleman	WR	Texas
35	Will Echoles	DT	Ole Miss
36	Devan Thompkins	DE	Alabama
37	Cayden Green	OL	Missouri
38	Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace	DE	Kentucky
39	Niki Prongos	OT	Stanford
40	Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa	LB	Notre Dame
41	KJ Bolden	S	Georgia
42	Carter Smith	OL	Indiana
43	Bear Alexander	DE	Oregon
44	Sammy Omosigho	LB	UCLA
45	Matayo Uiagalelei	DE	Oregon
46	Ryan Coleman-Williams	WR	Alabama
47	Deuce Alexander	WR	Ole Miss
48	Devon Jackson	LB	Oregon
49	Damon Wilson II	DE	Miami (FL)
50	Lance Heard	OT	Kentucky

The draft runs April 29 to May 1 in Washington.