Alec Elijah’s new 2027 mock draft, posted Saturday, October 17, opens with a pass rusher rather than a receiver. Texas edge Colin Simmons goes first to the Tennessee Titans, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith follows at No. 2 to the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Las Vegas Raiders make the only trade of the round, jumping from No. 20 to No. 12 for Indiana receiver Charlie Becker.
It is also a quarterback-heavy board. Five passers come off in the first 16 picks, starting with Miami’s Darian Mensah at No. 3 to the Miami Dolphins, while Notre Dame’s CJ Carr is left out of Round 1 entirely.
Alec Elijah’s first round
| Pick | Prospect | School | Pos. | Club | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colin Simmons | Texas | EDGE | Tennessee Titans | Top edge rusher in the class |
| 2 | Jeremiah Smith | Ohio State | WR | Los Angeles Chargers | Best player on Elijah’s board |
| 3 | Darian Mensah | Miami (FL) | QB | Miami Dolphins | First quarterback taken |
| 4 | Jordan Seaton | LSU | OT | Houston Texans | Left tackle for C.J. Stroud |
| 5 | Leonard Moore | Notre Dame | CB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Cover corner for the NFC South |
| 6 | Will Echoles | Ole Miss | DT | New Orleans Saints | Run-defense fix |
| 7 | Arch Manning | Texas | QB | Arizona Cardinals | Bet on tools |
| 8 | Tae Johnson | Notre Dame | S | Washington Commanders | Range at the back end |
| 9 | Trinidad Chambliss | Ole Miss | QB | New York Jets | Most ready of the passers |
| 10 | Trevor Goosby | Texas | OT | Philadelphia Eagles | Right tackle succession |
| 11 | David Stone | Oklahoma | DT | New York Jets | Every-down interior lineman |
| 12 | Charlie Becker | Indiana | WR | Las Vegas Raiders (trade with Jets) | Trade up from No. 20 |
| 13 | Ellis Robinson IV | Georgia | CB | Cleveland Browns | Athletic corner to develop |
| 14 | Drew Mestemaker | Oklahoma State | QB | Atlanta Falcons | Big arm, turnovers to clean up |
| 15 | KJ Bolden | Georgia | S | Cincinnati Bengals | Versatile safety |
| 16 | Dante Moore | Oregon | QB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Fifth QB in 16 picks |
| 17 | Dylan Stewart | South Carolina | EDGE | Cleveland Browns | Upside despite risk flags |
| 18 | Greg Johnson | Minnesota | OG | Seattle Seahawks | Guard who can play center |
| 19 | Carter Smith | Indiana | OT | Carolina Panthers | Day 1 starter at tackle |
| 20 | Ashton Hampton | Clemson | CB | New York Jets (trade with Raiders) | Jets’ third first-rounder |
| 21 | Xavier Gilliam | Tennessee | DT | Dallas Cowboys | Interior pressure |
| 22 | Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa | Notre Dame | LB | Denver Broncos | Three-down linebacker |
| 23 | Kelley Jones | Mississippi State | CB | Chicago Bears | Long boundary corner |
| 24 | Jamari Johnson | Oregon | TE | New England Patriots | Seam target for Drake Maye |
| 25 | Kade Pieper | Iowa | OG | Detroit Lions | Interior line help |
| 26 | Ahmad Moten Sr. | Miami (FL) | DT | New York Giants | Power in the middle |
| 27 | Kingston Lopa | California | S | Jacksonville Jaguars | Ball skills |
| 28 | Cam Coleman | Texas | WR | Buffalo Bills | Deep threat for Josh Allen |
| 29 | Lance Heard | Kentucky | OT | Baltimore Ravens | Blind-side tackle |
| 30 | Jadan Baugh | Florida | RB | Minnesota Vikings | Only running back in Round 1 |
| 31 | Reed Harris | Arizona State | WR | Kansas City Chiefs | Next target for Patrick Mahomes |
| 32 | Kenyatta Jackson Jr. | Ohio State | EDGE | San Francisco 49ers | Edge setter and rusher |
The quarterback run
Elijah’s order of passers is Mensah (3, Dolphins), Texas’ Arch Manning (7, Arizona Cardinals), Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss (9, New York Jets), Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker (14, Atlanta Falcons) and Oregon’s Dante Moore (16, Pittsburgh Steelers). He sells Mensah on accuracy and calm in the pocket, and calls Chambliss the one most ready to help right away. Manning is a wager on arm and athleticism for a Cardinals team still unsettled at the position.
The two passers at the back of the run carry caveats in his write-ups: Mestemaker for the turnovers that come with a big arm, and Moore for lingering injury questions. Leaving Carr out of the first 32 puts Elijah at odds with several boards that have the Notre Dame quarterback climbing.
Smith at No. 2 and the Raiders’ move
Smith is still the top player on Elijah’s board, but the Titans take Simmons for a pass rush they need for years, and the Chargers are the ones who get the Ohio State receiver as a centerpiece for a stalled offense. That makes this one of the few recent mocks in which Smith is not the first name called.
The trade is the most eye-catching move. Las Vegas sends picks to the Jets to climb eight spots, and Elijah’s reasoning is a reunion: Becker would rejoin Fernando Mendoza, his quarterback at Indiana, as a true outside receiver. The Jets still pick three times in Round 1, adding Chambliss at 9, Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone at 11 and Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton at 20. Cleveland also picks twice, taking Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson IV at 13 and South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart at 17, despite what Elijah calls injury and discipline flags on the edge rusher.
By position and by school
Quarterback leads with five picks. Cornerback, offensive tackle, defensive tackle and receiver have four each, safety and edge three each, guard two, and linebacker, tight end and running back one apiece; Florida’s Jadan Baugh, at 30 to the Minnesota Vikings, is the only back. Texas places four players (Simmons, Manning, tackle Trevor Goosby and receiver Cam Coleman), and Notre Dame has three: cornerback Leonard Moore, safety Tae Johnson and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.
The draft order behind every mock still moves each Sunday. Our 2027 draft order tracker follows the race for No. 1.
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