Round 1 of the 2027 NFL Draft projected to be top-heavy with QBs

Quarterbacks are always a hot topic when looking ahead at an NFL Draft class.

After all, in the NFL, if you've got a top quarterback, you've got a chance to win it all. That's why the Las Vegas Raiders didn't hesitate to select Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall last Thursday evening. 

It's also why the Los Angeles Rams selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall despite being just a few plays away from a Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford at the helm. They could have tried to give the 38-year-old MVP quarterback one more piece to help him get the team over the hump, but the Rams valued a long-term plan at quarterback over short-term gain. 

The Green Bay Packers have been consistently winning for the last 30-plus years because of that very same strategy.

That's why it's no surprise that in a very early 2027 NFL mock draft up on Fox Sports, analyst Rob Rang is predicting that three quarterbacks will go within the first five picks.

The first on his board and in this mock is Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. He's famously the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, but he's also a former five-star quarterback who has flashed plenty of potential at Texas alongside some intriguing growth and determination.

Rang believes the Miami Dolphins will be picking No. 1 overall in 2027 and that Manning will be their selection.

"Boasting a tall, strong frame, a whip of an arm, excellent straight-line speed and the mental toughness that comes with all the expectations growing up as a Manning, he is the easy favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick next spring," Rang wrote.

2027 NFL Draft to be full of talent at QB

Not to be outdone, the Arizona Cardinals select Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore at No. 2 overall in this mock. Moore considered coming out in this past draft and he very well could have been a top-10 pick, but he ultimately decided that one more year of seasoning under Dan Lanning in Eugene would do him well.

Going back to Simpson and the Rams, Rang interestingly believes Moore would have been QB2 in the 2026 Draft, behind Mendoza.

Speaking of interesting, the quarterback carousel going down with the Cleveland Browns absolutely qualifies as such. In the last draft, they selected Dillon Gabriel out of Oregon in the third round and Shedeur Sanders out of Colorado in the fifth. In this last draft, they spent pick No. 182 on a developmental quarterback out of Arkansas, Taylen Green.

Despite three quarterback selections in the past two drafts, Rang is mocking that the Browns will take one more. This time, it's LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt, fresh off a season with Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge.

The 2027 draft may very well be "the year of the quarterback," because Rang is projecting five overall in the first round. Other quarterbacks to keep an eye on include Julian Sayin from Ohio State (No. 12 overall to the New York Jets in this mock) and LaNorris Sellers from South Carolina (No. 14 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers).