Gilberto Manzano has released his top 10 prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft, and two Texas Longhorns developments shape it: Arch Manning is nowhere near the list, and three of the program’s best draft prospects, tackle Trevor Goosby, receiver Cam Coleman and edge rusher Colin Simmons, could miss the rest of the college season with injuries.
Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is No. 1. Simmons is still second despite his ankle injury, South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart is third, and Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker is the first quarterback at No. 6. Goosby, who started the season as a candidate to be the first tackle drafted, is out of the top 10, and LSU’s Jordan Seaton takes his place as the top tackle at No. 8.
Manzano’s top 10
| Rank | Player | Pos. | School | Campbell board, Oct. 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah Smith | WR | Ohio State | 1 |
| 2 | Colin Simmons | EDGE | Texas | 3 |
| 3 | Dylan Stewart | EDGE | South Carolina | 9 |
| 4 | Leonard Moore | CB | Notre Dame | 2 |
| 5 | Charlie Becker | WR | Indiana | 4 |
| 6 | Drew Mestemaker | QB | Oklahoma State | 38 |
| 7 | Will Echoles | DT | Ole Miss | 19 |
| 8 | Jordan Seaton | OT | LSU | 11 |
| 9 | Ashton Hampton | CB | Clemson | 24 |
| 10 | Darian Mensah | QB | Miami (FL) | 10 |
The last column is each player’s spot on Charlie Campbell’s updated big board from a day earlier. The two lists agree on Smith at the top and on Mensah at No. 10, but Manzano is far higher on Stewart, Echoles, Hampton and especially Mestemaker, whom Campbell has 38th.
Smith and the case for a receiver at No. 1
Manzano writes that it is becoming increasingly clear Smith will be a top-two pick and that he probably will not go second, because the 2027 class has few quarterback options. If Smith goes first, he would be the first wide receiver to lead off a draft since the Jets took Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Smith has 52 catches for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns and, in Manzano’s view, is well on his way to the Heisman Trophy.
Indiana’s Charlie Becker is fifth. Manzano says few expected Becker to run away with the second receiver spot in the class, and that he is now closer to Smith than the rest of the receivers are to him, thanks to his route running, hands and blocking.
Simmons over Stewart, for now
Simmons is sidelined with an ankle injury, but Manzano says he has done enough to be viewed as a top-five pick. He calls the 6-foot-3, 246-pounder a consistent force who has improved at setting the edge against the run, and compares the knock on his high floor to the one once placed on Will Anderson Jr.
Stewart, at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, has the most upside of any defender in the class in Manzano’s eyes. He served a one-game suspension for arguing with his coaches and punching a player against Alabama, and Manzano says teams will have to do extensive homework on that, but he has caused no trouble since and was a force against Tennessee last week.
Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore is fourth. Manzano writes that Moore rarely makes mistakes and has a safe floor that could make him the first defender drafted, but that he will need a strong game against Miami receiver Malachi Toney when the Hurricanes visit South Bend on November 7.
The Texas injuries
Manzano describes Goosby’s knee injury as season-ending and says Goosby may have been playing hurt after injuring the knee in the summer, which could explain why many evaluators thought Seaton was the better tackle this season. He adds that it would not surprise anyone to see Goosby return to college for another year, while the 6-foot-5, 307-pound Seaton has many reasons to declare.
Coleman, Campbell’s seventh-ranked prospect, is also outside Manzano’s top 10. Manning is not on the list, and Manzano says it is no longer a given that the Texas quarterback will be a first-round pick if he enters the draft, though Manning did find a spot in his latest mock draft.
Mestemaker and Mensah
Manzano acknowledges that Mestemaker benefits from a disappointing quarterback class, but says his skill set is reminiscent of Josh Allen’s and that he keeps improving every game, two years after walking on at North Texas without having played quarterback on his high school varsity. He argues that returning to school has not done much for Manning or Oregon’s Dante Moore, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a concussion, and that Mestemaker would be wise to strike while his stock is hot. His next big test is Texas Tech on November 14.
Miami’s Darian Mensah rounds out the list. Manzano points to his 81.4 percent completion rate and a handful of big throws against Pittsburgh, and says availability alone has been an issue for this quarterback class. Miami plays North Carolina and then Notre Dame over the next two weeks.
Echoles, Hampton and what comes next
Ole Miss defensive tackle Will Echoles is seventh, although it is unclear whether he will miss time after getting hurt against Texas. Manzano says Tennessee’s Xavier Gilliam is pushing hard to be the top defensive tackle, and that Gilliam will be close behind Echoles on his top 100 big board, due next week. Clemson’s Ashton Hampton, ninth, is clearly the second cornerback in the class in his view, ahead of Georgia’s Ellis Robinson IV and Mississippi State’s Kelley Jones.
Manzano’s last full mock, a two-round projection on October 22, also sent Smith to the Chargers at No. 1.
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