In July, I will start posting position-by-position previews for the 2027 NFL Draft — my initial rankings of the draft-eligible prospects at each position before the season kicks off.
But first, I wanted to do a draft-related mailbag to cover the Brendan Sorsby situation, the college programs who should be most well-represented in the 2027 draft class and more. Thanks for all the questions.
Note: Questions may have been lightly edited for clarity and style.
What are your thoughts on which team(s) could draft Brendan Sorsby in the supplemental draft, and how would you rank him compared to the QBs eligible for the 2027 NFL draft? — Gary C.
After this story was first published, the NFL told Sorsby it will not hold a supplemental draft in 2026.
With the gambling cloud looming over him, Sorsby’s situation had appeared to be unprecedented. Would teams have had enough time to feel comfortable about his recovery? Could they trust him moving forward? Those questions are now on pause, although the league encouraged Sorsby to focus on preparing for the 2027 draft, according to a letter obtained by The Athletic.
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Strictly talking about the on-field outlook, Sorsby is a very talented, yet underdeveloped quarterback prospect. Had he entered the 2026 NFL Draft, he would have been QB3 for most teams and likely would have been selected in the mid-Day 2 range (mostly third-round grades but probably taken in Round 2 because of positional inflation).
At 6 feet 3 and 235 pounds with 4.6 speed, Sorsby has an impressive physical profile plus the quick release and arm velocity to sling the ball from different platforms to all three levels. However, he is also loose with his mechanics, which creates wild inconsistency in his ball placement. And the Cincinnati offense limited his development in making progression reads, setting protections and other aspects of playing the position at a high level. If he’d shown improvements in those key areas during his senior year at Texas Tech, Sorsby would have put himself in the 2027 first-round mix.
Which team might have made the most aggressive bid? There were obvious options, such as the Browns and Jets, because both are prime candidates to draft a quarterback very early in the 2027 NFL Draft.
There also are teams with short-term answers but long-term question marks at the position, including the Buccaneers, Falcons and Steelers. And then there are teams that have established starters but are always looking to acquire talented assets, such as the Packers and Eagles. The problem with many of the potential fits is that those teams’ quarterback depth charts are already crowded, which adds another layer to the complicated Sorsby projection. The NFL’s decision, though, will postpone the questions about Sorsby’s professional future, at least for now.
How close is it for you at the top of the 2027 RB class? With (Jadan) Baugh and (Ahmad) Hardy included in your early first-round mock, I assume they’re at the top of your list, but are Kewan Lacy, Isaac Brown, Nate Frazier and Justice Haynes in a similar tier? — Reid B.
I went in depth on a few dozen draft-eligible running backs last week and came away excited about this class. I finished with almost identical grades on Baugh and Lacy at the top of my stack — both have the talent to be first-round picks.
Baugh has rare athletic twitch for a 228-pound back and can just as easily set up his blocks as he can run through tackle attempts. Hardy isn’t far behind, and his production in the SEC speaks for itself. Another step down from there is Brown, who has explosive speed to confound defenders, but his subpar frame (190 pounds) and ball-security issues gave me pause.
The senior class has several running backs who are NFL-quality prospects. After transferring from Michigan to Georgia Tech, Haynes will enter the year as my top-ranked senior at the position, but BYU’s LJ Martin and Miami’s Mark Fletcher (both of whom weigh over 225 pounds) aren’t far behind. I’m also eager to see Raleek Brown at Texas after his 1,100-yard showing at Arizona State last season.
It is a low bar, but the 2027 running back draft class should be a major step up from that of 2026.
Dane, out of the Big Ten’s big three of Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana, which do you think will have the most draft picks next spring? — Braden R.
I think it’ll be a tight race all the way until the 2027 draft. My early answer is Ohio State, but that could change depending on how the college football season plays out and which underclassmen declare.
The Buckeyes have a legit top-three pick at wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and several other top-50 contenders, such as pass rusher Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and offensive lineman Luke Montgomery. My initial pass through the Ohio State tape revealed a dozen draftable players.
But Indiana and Oregon are loaded with future NFL guys, as well — those programs also could produce double-digit picks in 2027. Hoosiers wide receiver Charlie Becker and left tackle Carter Smith are two of my favorite prospects in the country. That roster also has several fun players currently projected to go on Day 3 (edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi and linebacker Isaiah Jones, to name a couple).
Oregon is loaded on the defensive line, as Matayo Uiagalelei, A’Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander and Teitum Tuioti all will enter the year with the chance to be top-50 picks. I’m also excited to see the return of WR Evan Stewart, who is making his way back from a knee injury but has the talent to be the first senior drafted at his position. Oh yeah, and that Dante Moore guy is pretty good, too.
How many players have draftable grades on this year’s Notre Dame team? Is this the most in Marcus Freeman’s (or even Brian Kelly’s) era? Curious how you see this team! — Pat C.
You need to go back more than 30 years to the Lou Holtz era, the last time Notre Dame produced 10 draft picks in a single class. There is at least a decent chance the Irish could reach that mark in 2027.
The Irish secondary might be the best in all of college football. Leonard Moore should finish with one of the highest grades I’ve ever given a cornerback — he is a slam-dunk top-10 pick. Tae Johnson looks like an early-round safety, and defensive backs DJ McKinney, Christian Gray and Luke Talich are also NFL-level players.
Among the Irish seniors, wide receiver Jordan Faison and linebackers Drayk Bowen and Jaylen Sneed have preliminary draftable grades from NFL teams. I haven’t scouted all of Notre Dame’s underclassmen yet, but QB CJ Carr will be a draft pick whenever he jumps to the NFL. Edge rushers Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young have the talent to announce themselves as top-50 prospects this season. And junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is an exciting player who should only continue to rise throughout the process.
This program will be well-represented in the NFL Draft over the next few years.
How do you decide who gets in The Beast? I love The Beast. It’s fantastic. Apologies if you’ve ever answered this before. But running back No. 178, who rushed for 719 yds and four TDs in his career at a mid-tier NAIA school and runs a 4.81 at 5-9, 161 — how does he end up in The Beast? — Brad Y.
Every June, I build the prospect database that will be tweaked over the next 10 months and eventually become the final rankings in The Beast. My initial database for the 2027 draft class is already more than 1,000 names long, counting draft-eligible players I have studied or will get eyes on before the end of the summer. Laying the foundation over the summer is critical to my process of setting expectations going into the season.
Throughout the season and into the pre-draft process, that database continues to grow, based on tape study and intel gathering. I rely heavily on info from scouts around the league to point me in the right direction on lesser-known prospects so I can check them out. I usually end up with around 2,500 total players in The Beast (which seems like overkill when only 257-ish players are drafted each year).
Most of the names in the draft guide will be lucky to be camp bodies or even receive a tryout. But my mentality is this: If they are on the NFL radar, they belong on my radar. And I use tape, feedback from scouts and verified testing data to rank them as best I can in the draft guide.
