Eric Edholm has expanded his 2027 NFL Draft big board from 30 names to 50 in its second edition, and the biggest movement is at quarterback. Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker is now his top passer at No. 5. Ole Miss’s Trinidad Chambliss is next at No. 12, and Texas’s Arch Manning is down at No. 18.
Missouri’s Austin Simmons makes his first appearance at No. 20. Edholm says he held Simmons back because of his lack of experience, but now calls him one of the clear winners in a quarterback class that has been disappointing overall. Oregon’s Dante Moore, who Edholm says reportedly will be shut down for the season, is No. 27. Seven quarterbacks make the top 50.
Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is still No. 1. Edholm expects him to be the highest-drafted non-quarterback next spring, “perhaps even going first overall,” which no receiver has done since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996.
The top 10
Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore is No. 2. Edholm calls him a “Pat Surtain II-Sauce Gardner level prospect” who has allowed only seven completions on 16 targets this season. South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart is the top edge rusher at No. 3, three spots ahead of Texas’s Colin Simmons.
Edholm notes that Simmons’s production “dwarfs that of Stewart,” but says Stewart rates as a bit more rare “in a traits-over-production league.” Simmons is out with a high-ankle sprain that is not expected to end his season. Indiana receiver Charlie Becker is No. 4, ahead of every quarterback.
| Rank | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah Smith | WR | Ohio State |
| 2 | Leonard Moore | CB | Notre Dame |
| 3 | Dylan Stewart | Edge | South Carolina |
| 4 | Charlie Becker | WR | Indiana |
| 5 | Drew Mestemaker | QB | Oklahoma State |
| 6 | Colin Simmons | Edge | Texas |
| 7 | Ashton Hampton | CB | Clemson |
| 8 | Will Echoles | DT | Ole Miss |
| 9 | Jordan Seaton | OT | LSU |
| 10 | Chris Cole | LB | Georgia |
Georgia linebacker Chris Cole rounds out the top 10. Edholm says Cole could have a Roquan Smith-like career and is “ascending quickly” after a 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Florida.
Where the quarterbacks land
Edholm says the quarterback group, once billed as a potentially generational crop, has turned into “a semi-disappointing one,” though a few new names have emerged. Here is where his seven top-50 passers rank, next to where the week’s three first-round mocks on this site slotted them.
| Quarterback | Edholm board (Nov. 5) | Rang mock (Nov. 5) | Middlehurst-Schwartz mock (Nov. 4) | Staton mock (Nov. 4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Mestemaker | No. 5 | 3, Dolphins | 4, Eagles | 6, Jets |
| Trinidad Chambliss | No. 12 | 6, Jets | 11, Ravens | Not in round 1 |
| Arch Manning | No. 18 | 12, Cardinals | Not in round 1 | Not in round 1 |
| Austin Simmons | No. 20 | Not in round 1 | Not in round 1 | Not in round 1 |
| Darian Mensah | No. 22 | 30, Vikings | 15, Browns | 16, Browns (from Rams) |
| CJ Carr | No. 25 | 16, Browns (from Rams) | 5, Jets | Not in round 1 |
| Dante Moore | No. 27 | 27, Steelers | 25, Vikings | 11, Cardinals |
Mestemaker is the only quarterback in Edholm’s top 10. He calls him “a fearless gunner” who can manufacture drives with his arm, athleticism and creativity, but can also stall them with “some shaky decision-making.”
Edholm says he is “still buying stock” in Chambliss despite questions about his age and size, pointing to his playmaking out of structure. On Manning, he writes that scouts still like the tools, but NFL people believe a return to college, maybe not at Texas, is “a real possibility.”
Miami’s Darian Mensah (No. 22) and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr (No. 25) are close together. Edholm says Saturday’s Miami-Notre Dame game will be “prime scouting tape” for Mensah and could have a big say on whether Carr comes out or stays in school.
The risers on the lines
Edholm says offensive tackle and defensive tackle have also seen a lot of change, with “a few out-of-nowhere prospects” climbing. Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam is No. 11, and Edholm compares him to a Byron Murphy II-like rusher. Kentucky tackle Lance Heard is No. 19 and Utah tackle Zereoue Williams is No. 23. Williams spent two seasons as the Utes’ third tackle behind 2026 first-rounders Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu.
Texas tackle Trevor Goosby is No. 21. Edholm was higher on him than LSU’s Jordan Seaton (No. 9) coming into the year, but a season-ending knee injury and a six-to-nine-month rehab leave his decision to enter the draft in question.
Picks 11 to 50
| Rank | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Xavier Gilliam | DT | Tennessee |
| 12 | Trinidad Chambliss | QB | Ole Miss |
| 13 | Cam Coleman | WR | Texas |
| 14 | Jadan Baugh | RB | Florida |
| 15 | Ellis Robinson IV | CB | Georgia |
| 16 | Greg Johnson | IOL | Minnesota |
| 17 | Yhonzae Pierre | Edge | Alabama |
| 18 | Arch Manning | QB | Texas |
| 19 | Lance Heard | OT | Kentucky |
| 20 | Austin Simmons | QB | Missouri |
| 21 | Trevor Goosby | OT | Texas |
| 22 | Darian Mensah | QB | Miami |
| 23 | Zereoue Williams | OT | Utah |
| 24 | Devan Thompkins | DL/Edge | Alabama |
| 25 | CJ Carr | QB | Notre Dame |
| 26 | Jamari Johnson | TE | Oregon |
| 27 | Dante Moore | QB | Oregon |
| 28 | Kelley Jones | CB | Mississippi State |
| 29 | Trey’Dez Green | TE | LSU |
| 30 | Kade Pieper | IOL | Iowa |
| 31 | KJ Duff | WR | Rutgers |
| 32 | Nick Marsh | WR | Indiana |
| 33 | Trevor Lauck | OT | Iowa |
| 34 | KJ Bolden | S | Georgia |
| 35 | A’Mauri Washington | DT | Oregon |
| 36 | Melvin Siani | OT | Texas |
| 37 | David Stone | DT | Oklahoma |
| 38 | Carter Smith | IOL-OT | Indiana |
| 39 | Will Heldt | Edge | Clemson |
| 40 | Ryan Coleman-Williams | WR | Alabama |
| 41 | Boubacar Traore | Edge | Notre Dame |
| 42 | Justin Scott | DT | Miami |
| 43 | Deuce Alexander | WR | Ole Miss |
| 44 | Kingston Lopa | S | Cal |
| 45 | Zabien Brown | CB | Alabama |
| 46 | Kewan Lacy | RB | Ole Miss |
| 47 | Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa | LB | Notre Dame |
| 48 | Vicari Swain | CB | South Carolina |
| 49 | Jaylen McClain | S | Ohio State |
| 50 | Sammy Omosigho | LB | UCLA |
The board by position
| Position | Players in Edholm’s top 50 |
|---|---|
| Wide receiver | 7 |
| Quarterback | 7 |
| Offensive tackle | 6 |
| Edge rusher | 6 |
| Cornerback | 6 |
| Defensive tackle | 5 |
| Interior offensive line | 3 |
| Safety | 3 |
| Linebacker | 3 |
| Tight end | 2 |
| Running back | 2 |
This count groups Alabama’s Devan Thompkins (No. 24, DL/edge) with the edge rushers, and Minnesota’s Greg Johnson, Iowa’s Kade Pieper and Indiana’s Carter Smith with the interior line. Florida’s Jadan Baugh (No. 14) is the top running back. Edholm calls him “the best back in this class but perhaps not a generational prospect.”
Edholm says plenty will change between now and April. This board was published Thursday, Nov. 5, before Saturday’s college slate.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.