Dane Brugler’s midseason 2027 top 50: Drew Mestemaker jumps from 30th to No. 2, Xavier Gilliam debuts at sixth and Arch Manning falls from third to 25th

Dane Brugler has released his midseason 2027 NFL draft top 50, his first update since his preseason board in August. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is still No. 1, and Brugler says Smith is the only player on the board who did not move. “Smith started at No. 1. He remains at No. 1. He will finish at No. 1,” he writes.

The biggest change is right behind him. Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker, 30th in August, is now No. 2 and the top quarterback. Texas quarterback Arch Manning, third in August, falls to 25th. Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam was not on the August board and debuts at No. 6.

Eight quarterbacks are in the top 50, tied with edge rushers for the most at any position. There are only two running backs. Brugler also notes that because of the new five-in-five eligibility rule, only five players on the board are certain to be in the 2027 class. Everyone else could still go back to school.

Updated top-50 Draft Board 🚨

– No. 1 is the only spot that hasn't changed since August
– A LOT of QBs (only 2 RBs)
– Another good draft class if you need WR or EDGE helphttps://t.co/XXvvZ7OLDK

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) November 12, 2026

The new top 25

Rank	Player	Pos.	School	August rank	Move
1	Jeremiah Smith	WR	Ohio State	1	Same
2	Drew Mestemaker	QB	Oklahoma State	30	Up 28
3	Colin Simmons	EDGE	Texas	7	Up 4
4	Leonard Moore	CB	Notre Dame	2	Down 2
5	Charlie Becker	WR	Indiana	9	Up 4
6	Xavier Gilliam	DT	Tennessee	Not ranked	New
7	Dylan Stewart	EDGE	South Carolina	4	Down 3
8	Jordan Seaton	OT	LSU	15	Up 7
9	Chris Cole	LB	Georgia	22	Up 13
10	CJ Carr	QB	Notre Dame	27	Up 17
11	Ashton Hampton	CB	Clemson	21	Up 10
12	Boubacar Traore	EDGE	Notre Dame	43	Up 31
13	Jadan Baugh	RB	Florida	26	Up 13
14	Trey’Dez Green	TE	LSU	11	Down 3
15	Ellis Robinson IV	CB	Georgia	12	Down 3
16	Will Echoles	DT	Ole Miss	13	Down 3
17	Nick Marsh	WR	Indiana	34	Up 17
18	Zereoue Williams	OT	Utah	Not ranked	New
19	Kade Pieper	IOL	Iowa	28	Up 9
20	Austin Simmons	QB	Missouri	Not ranked	New
21	Trevor Lauck	OT	Iowa	14	Down 7
22	Trinidad Chambliss	QB	Ole Miss	35	Up 13
23	Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa	LB	Notre Dame	Not ranked	New
24	Reed Harris	WR	Arizona State	Not ranked	New
25	Arch Manning	QB	Texas	3	Down 22

On Mestemaker, Brugler writes: “From high school backup to college walk-on to No. 1 pick? That might be Mestemaker’s journey, as unlikely a path as we have ever seen.” He says Mestemaker lacks experience but has “outstanding tools,” and that scouts believe there is a good chance he declares for the 2027 draft.

Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons moves up from seventh to third. Brugler points out that Simmons still leads the FBS with 10.5 sacks despite missing most of the last three games with an ankle injury. Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore slips from second to fourth but is still called “a potential top-five pick.” He has not allowed a touchdown or committed a penalty this season.

Indiana receiver Charlie Becker moves up from ninth to fifth. Brugler says Becker has no drops on 123 targets over the past two seasons. On Gilliam he writes, “There is a lot of Byron Murphy II to his game.” South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart slips from fourth to seventh, and Brugler says an early-season suspension “will factor into his final draft grade.”

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr climbs from 27th to 10th. Brugler writes, “I can’t help but see Brock Purdy in Carr’s processing and skill set.” The biggest climb on the board belongs to Notre Dame edge rusher Boubacar Traore, who goes from 43rd to 12th.

Where the eight quarterbacks landed

Quarterback	School	Brugler Nov. 12	Brugler August	Jordan Reid Nov. 11
Drew Mestemaker	Oklahoma State	2	30	5
CJ Carr	Notre Dame	10	27	13
Austin Simmons	Missouri	20	Not ranked	18
Trinidad Chambliss	Ole Miss	22	35	44
Arch Manning	Texas	25	3	37
Darian Mensah	Miami	27	41	16
Dante Moore	Oregon	32	6	40
LaNorris Sellers	South Carolina	41	37	25

Brugler and Jordan Reid, whose updated top 50 came out a day earlier, agree on the order of the top two quarterbacks: Mestemaker first and Carr second. Brugler is higher on both, with Mestemaker at No. 2 compared to No. 5 on Reid’s list, and Carr at No. 10 compared to No. 13.

On Manning, Brugler calls 2026 “a mixed bag,” saying he has been too aggressive at times and too conservative at others. He has Oregon’s Dante Moore 32nd, down from sixth, and says Moore is still undecided about the draft after missing most of the season with a head injury. Missouri’s Austin Simmons is new at No. 20, and Brugler says he has “a whip for an arm,” like Cam Ward. Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss moves up to 22nd. Brugler says his size and age mean he “won’t be for everyone.”

Brugler says he is not quite a believer in South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers (41st), but he also can’t give up on him: “I still think he’s worth developing.” Brugler had already said in his October mailbag that a top 10 without a quarterback was possible. Now he has two quarterbacks in his top 10.

Nos. 26 to 50

Rank	Player	Pos.	School	August rank	Move
26	KJ Bolden	S	Georgia	16	Down 10
27	Darian Mensah	QB	Miami	41	Up 14
28	A.J. Holmes Jr.	DT	Texas Tech	Not ranked	New
29	Anthonie Knapp	IOL	Notre Dame	39	Up 10
30	Jelani McDonald	S	Texas	33	Up 3
31	Greg Johnson	IOL	Minnesota	24	Down 7
32	Dante Moore	QB	Oregon	6	Down 26
33	Jackson Harris	WR	LSU	Not ranked	New
34	Lance Heard	OT	Kentucky	Not ranked	New
35	Kelley Jones	CB	Mississippi State	42	Up 7
36	KJ Duff	WR	Rutgers	Not ranked	New
37	Jamari Johnson	TE	Oregon	18	Down 19
38	Ty Benefield	S	LSU	36	Down 2
39	Devan Thompkins	EDGE	Alabama	Not ranked	New
40	Luke Reynolds	TE	Virginia Tech	Not ranked	New
41	LaNorris Sellers	QB	South Carolina	37	Down 4
42	Yhonzae Pierre	EDGE	Alabama	10	Down 32
43	Cam Coleman	WR	Texas	5	Down 38
44	Princewill Umanmielen	EDGE	LSU	Not ranked	New
45	Elijah Paige	OT	USC	Not ranked	New
46	Fred Johnson	LB	South Carolina	Not ranked	New
47	Will Heldt	EDGE	Clemson	38	Down 9
48	David Stone	DT	Oklahoma	32	Down 16
49	Clev Lubin	EDGE	Louisville	47	Down 2
50	Wayshawn Parker	RB	Utah	Not ranked	New

Who fell, who is new and who dropped out

Player	Pos.	August rank	November rank
Cam Coleman	WR	5	43
Yhonzae Pierre	EDGE	10	42
Dante Moore	QB	6	32
Arch Manning	QB	3	25
Jamari Johnson	TE	18	37
David Stone	DT	32	48
KJ Bolden	S	16	26

Texas receiver Cam Coleman falls the furthest, from fifth to 43rd. Brugler says Coleman “might be the captain of the ‘leaves you wanting more’ team this year.” Alabama edge rusher Yhonzae Pierre, 10th in August, is now 42nd. Brugler still praises his physicality but says his pass-rush plan off the edge is underdeveloped.

Fifteen players are new to the board: Xavier Gilliam (6), Zereoue Williams (18), Austin Simmons (20), Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (23), Reed Harris (24), A.J. Holmes Jr. (28), Jackson Harris (33), Lance Heard (34), KJ Duff (36), Devan Thompkins (39), Luke Reynolds (40), Princewill Umanmielen (44), Elijah Paige (45), Fred Johnson (46) and Wayshawn Parker (50). Brugler calls LSU’s Jackson Harris, who played at Stanford and Hawaii before LSU, “one of the biggest risers this season.”

Fifteen players dropped out: Trevor Goosby (8), Kewan Lacy (17), Sammy Brown (19), Tae Johnson (20), A’Mauri Washington (23), Justin Scott (25), Jaylen McClain (29), Ahmad Hardy (31), Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (40), Zach Lutmer (44), Jacarrius Peak (45), Bryant Wesco Jr. (46), Austin Siereveld (48), Ahmad Moten Sr. (49) and Ryan Coleman-Williams (50). Texas tackle Trevor Goosby, eighth in August, is the highest of them.

The five players with no college eligibility left after this season are Utah tackle Zereoue Williams (18), Chambliss (22), Texas Tech defensive tackle A.J. Holmes Jr. (28), Alabama’s Devan Thompkins (39) and Louisville edge rusher Clev Lubin (49). Rutgers receiver KJ Duff (36) will miss the rest of the season after high-ankle surgery.

What it means for the top picks

Brugler’s board fits the post-deadline mocks at the top. Smith went first to the Chargers in all three of the mocks we compared on Wednesday, and Mel Kiper and Field Yates’ midseason top 10 had Mestemaker third and Carr fourth. Brugler wrote this week that the Titans, Jets, Eagles and Browns all have more than one 2027 first-round pick. For who picks where, see our 2027 draft order tracker.

The 2027 draft runs April 29 to May 1 in Washington, D.C.