Mel Kiper’s updated 2027 big board: CJ Carr jumps from eighth to fourth, Ashton Hampton climbs to sixth, and Trinidad Chambliss and Austin Simmons fall to 20th and 21st

Mel Kiper Jr. updated his 2027 NFL draft big board on Thursday, and the biggest move near the top belongs to Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr. Carr jumps from eighth to fourth after throwing for 319 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Irish’s 31-24 win over then-No. 1 Miami.

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore hold the top three spots. Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton climbs seven places to sixth, the biggest rise on the board. The same 25 players are on the list as last time. Only the order changed.

Seven quarterbacks are in Kiper’s top 25. Two of them, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss and Missouri’s Austin Simmons, fall the furthest, from 10th to 20th and from 12th to 21st. Texas’ Arch Manning moves up two spots to 22nd.

Kiper’s new top 25

Rank	Player	Pos.	School	Previous rank	Move
1	Jeremiah Smith	WR	Ohio State	1	Same
2	Drew Mestemaker	QB	Oklahoma State	2	Same
3	Leonard Moore	CB	Notre Dame	3	Same
4	CJ Carr	QB	Notre Dame	8	Up 4
5	Colin Simmons	EDGE	Texas	5	Same
6	Ashton Hampton	CB	Clemson	13	Up 7
7	Darian Mensah	QB	Miami	4	Down 3
8	Chris Cole	LB	Georgia	11	Up 3
9	Charlie Becker	WR	Indiana	7	Down 2
10	Xavier Gilliam	DT	Tennessee	6	Down 4
11	Dylan Stewart	EDGE	South Carolina	9	Down 2
12	Nick Marsh	WR	Indiana	15	Up 3
13	Trevor Lauck	OT	Iowa	14	Up 1
14	Jordan Seaton	OT	LSU	16	Up 2
15	Will Echoles	DT	Ole Miss	17	Up 2
16	Greg Johnson	G/C	Minnesota	20	Up 4
17	KJ Duff	WR	Rutgers	18	Up 1
18	Kade Pieper	G	Iowa	21	Up 3
19	Kelley Jones	CB	Mississippi State	19	Same
20	Trinidad Chambliss	QB	Ole Miss	10	Down 10
21	Austin Simmons	QB	Missouri	12	Down 9
22	Arch Manning	QB	Texas	24	Up 2
23	Dante Moore	QB	Oregon	25	Up 2
24	Trey’Dez Green	TE	LSU	23	Down 1
25	Jadan Baugh	RB	Florida	22	Down 3

On Carr, Kiper writes that he is “smart and processes quickly before and after the snap, which is part of the reason he has taken just two sacks all season.” He adds that Carr’s arm strength is “good but not great,” but that he is “pretty advanced in the key areas of NFL-level quarterback play.” Carr has 21 touchdown passes and one interception in nine games.

Hampton has allowed 2.7 yards per pass attempt in his direction this season, sixth in the country, Kiper notes. “You can tell he loves matching up with the opposition’s No. 1 receiver and going to battle. And more often than not, Hampton wins,” he writes.

Smith stays No. 1, and Kiper calls him “very clearly the best player in this draft class,” with 41 career touchdown catches and only six drops on 312 career targets. Mestemaker holds at second. Kiper points out that he leads FBS with 48 completions of 20-plus yards and does not turn 21 until January.

Who fell, and why

Miami’s Darian Mensah drops from fourth to seventh after the loss to Notre Dame, though Kiper notes he still leads the nation in completion percentage at 76.8. Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam slips from sixth to 10th, even as Kiper writes that “no player in college football has improved his draft stock more since the start of the season.”

Chambliss falls 10 spots. Kiper calls him “the ultimate point guard at the quarterback position” but notes that he will be 25 before the 2027 season starts and that he struggled against Georgia. Simmons falls nine spots. “There is no better thrower of the football in the collegiate ranks right now,” Kiper writes, but Simmons has started only 11 college games and has re-signed with Missouri for 2027.

On Manning, Kiper writes that he is “too inconsistent, especially when it comes to accuracy and decision-making,” and that watching him means riding “the roller coaster.” Oregon’s Dante Moore is 23rd, and Kiper says Moore’s season is likely over after a concussion against USC. Rutgers receiver KJ Duff, 17th, is also out for the season after high ankle surgery.

How Kiper compares with Brugler and Reid

Kiper’s update came the same week as Dane Brugler’s midseason top 50 and Jordan Reid’s updated top 50. All three have Smith first. Mestemaker is second for Kiper and Brugler and fifth for Reid. The biggest gap is Carr: fourth for Kiper, 10th for Brugler and 13th for Reid.

Kiper rank	Player	Brugler (Nov. 12)	Reid (Nov. 11)
1	Jeremiah Smith	1	1
2	Drew Mestemaker	2	5
3	Leonard Moore	4	2
4	CJ Carr	10	13
5	Colin Simmons	3	4
6	Ashton Hampton	11	8
7	Darian Mensah	27	16
8	Chris Cole	9	6
9	Charlie Becker	5	7
10	Xavier Gilliam	6	14
11	Dylan Stewart	7	3
12	Nick Marsh	17	19
13	Trevor Lauck	21	21
14	Jordan Seaton	8	11
15	Will Echoles	16	10
16	Greg Johnson	31	12
17	KJ Duff	36	32
18	Kade Pieper	19	38
19	Kelley Jones	35	29
20	Trinidad Chambliss	22	44
21	Austin Simmons	20	18
22	Arch Manning	25	37
23	Dante Moore	32	40
24	Trey’Dez Green	14	26
25	Jadan Baugh	13	28

Kiper is also highest of the three on Hampton and on Mensah, who is seventh for him, 16th for Reid and 27th for Brugler. Gilliam is sixth for Brugler, 10th for Kiper and 14th for Reid. Kiper has Iowa tackle Trevor Lauck 13th and as his top tackle, while Brugler has LSU’s Jordan Seaton as the first tackle at eighth.

Kiper’s quarterback order

In his position rankings, Kiper lists the quarterbacks as Mestemaker, Carr, Mensah, Chambliss and Simmons. Manning, Moore and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers are listed as “just missed.” Kiper’s top-ranked players at other positions include Florida’s Jadan Baugh at running back, LSU’s Trey’Dez Green at tight end, Minnesota’s Greg Johnson on the interior line and Notre Dame’s Brauntae Johnson at safety.

For how these players are landing in mocks, see our comparison of three post-deadline mocks and Kiper and Field Yates’ midseason top-10 mock. For their view of which positions are deep in this class, see their position rankings.