Five midseason 2027 draft risers: Drew Mestemaker, Zereoue Williams, Chris Cole, Xavier Gilliam and Lance Heard

A midseason look at 2027 draft risers names Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker, Utah tackle Zereoue Williams, Georgia linebacker Chris Cole, Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and Kentucky tackle Lance Heard as first-round mock fixtures going forward.

Mestemaker has 2,649 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight games. He is framed as an aggressive three-level thrower and a favorite to be the first quarterback drafted if he declares.

Williams has entered the top-tackle conversation after Utah sent two tackles in the first round last April. Cole has 40 tackles, three pass breakups and 2.5 sacks as a sideline-to-sideline athlete.

Gilliam, a Penn State transfer, has 26 tackles, 11.5 for loss and 6.0 sacks. One 15-board consensus had him up 31 spots in two weeks, to 38th, the biggest jump on its top 50.

Heard’s pressure rate is under 2.5 percent, and the case is that he belongs in the first round of every mock from November on. A broader 48-board consensus still had him 47th as of late October.

Kentucky visits Tennessee on Saturday, November 7, at 6:15 p.m. Eastern. Heard, a former Tennessee starter, lines up against Gilliam’s defense in the 122nd meeting of the series.