Teams around the NFL are placing a premium on 2027 draft capital, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
At the 19:03 mark in the newest episode of the First Draft podcast, Yates noted general managers are content to sell off some 2028 picks rather than ones next year.
“I’ve had people around the league tell me that’s also not a coincidence,” he said. “Teams want as much 2027 skin in the game as they can get because there are premier players. And when you have a lot of quarterbacks that are going to go, there are teams that don’t need a quarterback. … If you’re the Las Vegas Raiders, you want 10 of these QBs to ball out. You want every single one of them to look like the next John Elway because that means good players get pushed down to a team like you.”
To further underline his point, Yates pointed to the Cincinnati Bengals’ trade for Dexter Lawrence. Giving up the No. 10 overall pick for the three-time Pro Bowler, who had a down year in 2025, reflected how the 2026 draft class wasn’t considered exceptional.
The assessment was especially true at quarterback, with Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson the only ones picked in the first two rounds.
That contrasts quite a bit with 2027. In Bleacher Report’s newest mock draft, four quarterbacks were projected to go in the top eight: Miami’s Darian Mensah, Texas’ Arch Manning, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. also threw USC’s Jayden Maiava into the Day 1 conversation. The longtime draft expert suggested Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss are among the others who could eventually earn a first-round grade.
Pivoting away from quarterback, you have Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who looked NFL-ready from the moment he debuted with the Buckeyes. He earned a 9.8 overall grade from the B/R NFL Scouting Department.
Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore is the best cornerback in college football. Texas’ Colin Simmons and South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart could make a big impact off the edge at the next level.
Obviously, nobody knows right now how the 2027 draft class will pan out. It’s easy to see why NFL talent evaluators are excited based on what evidence they do have.
