Jeff Risdon’s first 2027 NFL Draft big board: Dante Moore is No. 3 despite his concussion, Drew Mestemaker 18th and Arch Manning 45th

Jeff Risdon’s first 2027 NFL Draft big board puts Oregon quarterback Dante Moore third overall, behind only Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore, even though a concussion has kept Moore off the field for most of the season. Drew Mestemaker, the quarterback most mock drafts now take first, does not appear until No. 18.

Risdon released the 103-player ranking on Saturday morning, October 24, before the day’s college games. He framed it as a first look built on half a season of film, and he warned that many of the players are only eligible, not certain to enter the draft, because staying in school pays better than it used to.

Risdon’s top 30

The Reid rank column shows where each player sits on Jordan Reid’s updated top 50 from earlier in the week; NR means he is outside Reid’s 50. The notes are our summary of Risdon’s comments.

Quarterbacks: Moore first, Mestemaker fourth

Risdon lists nine quarterbacks among his 103, and the order is unlike most boards this month. Dante Moore is his QB1 at No. 3. Risdon called the missed time worrying but said he still believes in Moore’s passing, processing and unhurried style. Reid, by comparison, has Moore 37th.

Trinidad Chambliss (8) and CJ Carr (9) give Risdon three quarterbacks in his top 10. He described Chambliss as a natural leader who is only about 6 feet tall but throws with a powerful arm, and Carr as the passer with the best timing and touch in the class.

Mestemaker is fourth among quarterbacks at 18. Risdon called the Oklahoma State starter a big riser since his move from North Texas and said his processing is getting better each week, while noting he is still becoming a complete quarterback. That is a long way from the top of the class elsewhere: Reid has him eighth, and Todd McShay’s midseason update on Sunday lifted him to fifth overall after leaving him off his preseason top 50. In the 18 recent mock drafts we compared, Mestemaker was the first quarterback taken in 13.

Darian Mensah follows at 23 and Missouri’s Austin Simmons at 34. Arch Manning, who has fallen out of several first rounds this month, is 45th, the seventh quarterback on the list, ahead of USC’s Jayden Maiava (58) and Minnesota’s Drake Lindsey (88).

WHO ELSE BUT JEREMIAH SMITH.

HE REELS IN A 38 YARD PASS TO TIE THE BIG TEN TOUCHDOWN RECORD 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/u6TSKMCNfv

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 17, 2026

Where Risdon breaks from the pack

Minnesota guard Greg Johnson at No. 5 sits well above Reid’s 13th and Mike Renner’s 14th from mid-October. Risdon’s praise centers on how steady Johnson stays in pass protection.

Two safeties sit inside his top 20: Notre Dame’s Brauntae Johnson at 14, who broke his foot in September and has not played since, and California’s Kingston Lopa at 20. Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, 11th for Reid, is down at 41, and Utah tackle Zereoue Williams, Reid’s No. 14, is 51st.

On Dylan Stewart, at No. 7, Risdon was blunt: a high-risk, high-reward prospect whose pass rush keeps improving, with open questions about his suspension and coachability.

Other notable placements

Texas has the most players on the board with eight, including Manning, Simmons and Goosby. Notre Dame and Oregon have seven each. Receivers and edge rushers lead the position count with 13 apiece, followed by 12 cornerbacks and 12 defensive tackles.

What comes next

Risdon described this as his initial list, so movement is expected as conference play ends. Saturday’s games, including Manning’s start against Ole Miss, are not reflected in it. The early-entry deadline for underclassmen falls in January, and that will decide how many of these 103 players are actually in the 2027 class.