2027 prospects who may have been 2026 first-round picks originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Every spring, the book closes on one NFL Draft and opens to the next, ushering in a new influx of content and discourse. Naturally, we start at the top.
Like clockwork, we’ll hear the far-too-early buzz about this quarterback’s class being historic. In all likelihood, 2027 will fall in line with years past, playing host to a franchise quarterback or two and a handful of worthy dice rolls. To its credit, the 2027 NFL Draft will play host to multiple passers who left this past season with early-round hype.
Those prospects will headline the early discussions. As we kick off the 2027 cycle, let’s take a look back at the prospects who could have been first-round picks if they declared in April.
Top returning players from my 2026 board
Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
Moore was a bit of a late riser, having struggled in his limited action before 2025. At Oregon, though, Moore blossomed, emerging as a potential first-round pick on a championship-contending Ducks team.
If he had declared, as the football world expected, he almost certainly would’ve been the New York Jets‘ selection at No. 2 overall. Instead, he enters the fall as a QB1 hopeful with an exceptionally high bar to clear.
Moore’s most frequent comparison is C.J. Stroud, whose accuracy and in-structure prowess lent themselves to an explosive rookie season. Moore has work to do before he’s viewed as quite the savant. He didn’t look like the kind of athlete who could adequately deal with pressure during the College Football Playoff, and while his tools are good, they fall short of great, shrinking the margin for intangible error.
Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Manning will likely enter the season as my QB1. I loved the 2024 film in its admittedly small sample and — despite the catastrophe against Ohio State — the film from Manning’s 2025 season was surprisingly good.
He’s toolsier than Moore with additional flashes of nuance. Unlike an Oregon roster that seemed to retain a disproportionate amount of stars (more on that later), Texas’s supporting cast underwhelmed. Few top prospects dealt with as poor of receivers and offensive line play as Manning, regardless of how much NIL Texas pumped into its program.
MORE: Ranking the best quarterback fits from the 2026 NFL Draft
With a longer development for runway, high-level processing, and exciting twitchiness, Manning is poised to make good on the hype in 2026.
A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon
Dan Lanning and Phil Knight have become quite the convincing pair. A’Mauri Washington was well on his way to being a top-50 pick. In a class that saw Caleb Banks’ yellow flags go in Round 1, Washington could’ve joined him with a strong pre-draft cycle.
Washington was a Year 3 breakout whose production lagged behind his traits. He moves well for his 320-pound frame and penetrates frequently as a 1-tech.
At the next level, he currently projects as a versatile run defender whose pass-rushing potential is pushing his stock. If he can turn more of his pressures into sacks next season, hearing his name called on Day 1 is very much in play.
Matayo Uiagalelei, EDGE, Oregon
I came away lower on Uiagalelei’s film than others, making a return to Eugene all the more understandable. But as a fairly productive edge rusher who looked the part against Big Ten competition, his path to Round 1 is fairly simple.
We know the league loves edge rushers — especially those who check as many boxes as possible. With a double-digit sack season to his name and a chance to run a sub-4.70 40-yard dash at 270 pounds, Uiagalelei has the resume for Round 1.
In 2026, it’ll be important for his film to match the hype his profile generates, and that starts with winning more often with speed-to-power. His versatility and run defense may set his floor to Day 2. His platform season should define his upside.
LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
It was a tumultuous season for Sellers, whose South Carolina teammates and coaching staff left much to be desired. Injuries didn’t help either, and it would be ambitious to say optimism is particularly high for the Gamecocks.
With that said, Sellers is close to putting it all together. The tools are plentiful. We’re talking best-in-class, Anthony Richardson-type physical traits. Sellers can stretch the field with ease and turn should-be sacks into explosive gains on the ground. The upside is tantalizing, but the pendulum may be swinging back on toolsy quarterbacks with consistency concerns.
Sellers currently has a handful of flags in his production profile. He’s less effective as a passer under pressure and without play-action. His time to throw and pressure-to-sack rate are concerning (albeit understandable, given his mobility). He also struggles throwing to his left, a common issue for raw passers.
Sellers has a shot at 1.01, but it won’t come from his traits alone. He must make a leap in 2026, even in adversarial circumstances, to capitalize on the hype. Without said jump, he’d be relying on some team falling in love with the traits, swinging for the fences a little later in the draft.