What LaNorris Sellers must work on to become QB1 in 2027 NFL Draft

The 2026 NFL Draft just concluded, but many are already looking forward to the 2026 edition.

That's just life in the NFL Draft community. As soon as one is over, the next one technically is on the clock.

With that in mind, there are plenty of intriguing prospects who will be playing college football in 2026 with the hopes of not just winning for their teams but also impressing NFL scouts.

Quarterback is an area of focus for scouts, of course. It always is. That's just the nature of the position. 

The two quarterbacks at the top of most way-too-early boards are Dante Moore of the Oregon Ducks and Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns. Both players could have declared for this 2026 NFL Draft, and there's a case to be made that both would have been first-rounders had they decided to test their luck in the NFL.

There is a third quarterback who deserves some hype despite a rough 2025 season, though, and that's LaNorris Sellers. The South Carolina Gamecocks' quarterback is an NFL scout's dream, checking in at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds with all the athleticism in the world.

The issue for Sellers, a redshirt junior, is that he struggled at times in 2025.

He can still absolutely compete with Moore and Manning for the title of QB1 heading into the 2027 NFL Draft, but there are certain things he must work on in 2026. 

"Sellers still has work to do as a decision-maker from the pocket," wrote Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic on Monday. "Too many of the sacks he took last season were his fault, as he’s still affected by pressure more than you’d like to see. It also felt like he lost some confidence as a passer last season."

Can South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers regain his confidence as a QB?

Sellers threw for just 2,437 yards and 13 touchdowns last season with eight interceptions. His QBR of 61 was the 65th-worst amongst all college football quarterbacks, and his passer rating of 139.79 was 54th in the nation. Sellers completed just 60.8% of his passes, and against SEC competition, that number dropped to 60.1%. 

NFL teams are happy to take flyers on quarterbacks with great athleticism, but being an accurate and confident passer is still prerequisite No. 1 for being a true QB1 in the draft.

Confidence will be key for Sellers in 2026. Notably, the Gamecocks hired Kendal Briles away from TCU to be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Sellers. Briles is known as one of the best young offensive minds in college football, so that should be a boost.

If Sellers can get that confidence back, it's also worth noting that he has all the talent in the world to be a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender and future NFL star.

What happens between a quarterback's ears can be a mystery for even the greatest evaluators, though, so we're all firmly in "wait and see" mode with Sellers as far as the NFL is concerned.