The 2027 NFL draft is already being hyped as a generational draft class due to the high-end talent it features. Specifically, in the quarterbacks with Texas’ Arch Manning and Oregon’s Dante Moore. What about the quarterbacks behind those two? Everyone has locked in on the top two guys, and rightfully so; their tape is fun, littered with NFL-level throws.

An entire class isn’t defined by the top two talents; there is plenty of potential depth within this quarterback class, and here today, we’ll go through it. Here are five college quarterbacks to keep in the back of your head for the 2027 NFL draft.

Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State

The story of Drew Mestemaker is a fun and inspiring one for me. He was a zero-star recruit out of Austin Vandegrift High School and walked on to North Texas, hoping for a shot. The crazy part is he didn’t even start at quarterback in his senior season of high school; he was the backup, the team’s punter and starting safety.  He made the team at North Texas, redshirted in 2024, then started in 2025, and he did not disappoint. Mestemaker had 4,381 passing yards for 34 touchdowns to just nine interceptions — he led the FBS in passing yards and touchdowns. He became one of the most electric players to watch in college football, winning the Burlsworth trophy, which is given to the best college player who started as a walk-on.

Mestemaker entered the transfer portal as the third-best prospect in the country behind Brendan Sorsby and Sam Leavitt. He committed to Oklahoma State following his head coach, Eric Morris, who was the head coach at North Texas from 2023 to 2023.

Just looking at his size, he has all the measurements you can ask for in a quarterback, standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 211 pounds. Mestemaker has the arm talent to make any throw on the field, with each throw carrying a tight spiral. Can make throws off-platform and offers unique arm angles. The problems, and the main reason I don’t believe he’ll come out in 2027, are that his mechanics need a ton of refinement. He needs to work on anticipating throws more and getting stuck on his first read too often. But when he’s on, he’s on and is a fun watch. If he puts up a similar season to 2025, he could be a real candidate to enter the NFL draft.

Darian Mensah, QB, Miami

When watching the potential 2027 quarterbacks, Mensah surprised me. He was a three-star recruit out of high school and committed to Tulane over offers from Arizona State and Boise State. He redshirted in 2023 and got his chance to start in 2024.  Mensah put up 2,855 passing yards with 22 touchdowns to six interceptions. He entered the transfer portal following that season and committed to Duke.

With the Blue Devils, he had even better numbers, having 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns, earning himself a spot on the 2025 All-ACC second team. Mensah decided to re-enter the portal and ended up with Miami for the upcoming season after Carson Beck left for the NFL.

Mensah is 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, with a good frame to handle contact. He’s more of a pocket passer, and the accuracy he brings to the short-to-intermediate part of the field is special. Footwork is clean, leading to great ball placement when he anticipates routes and is on time. He struggled to push the ball down the field effectively and didn’t create enough off-schedule within the offense. He still has upside to be a first-round quarterback in 2027, and with Miami, I expect him to make the jump.

CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame

Carr may not be a new name for a ton of people, and it figures to be the starting quarterback of Notre Dame. He’s been in the spotlight for the majority of his football career, being a four-star recruit and the No. 1 player in Missouri in the 2024 class. He redshirted his true freshman season and got his opportunity to start for the Fighting Irish in 2025. Carr had 2,741 yards for 24 touchdowns to six interceptions and led Notre Dame on a 10-game winning streak.

The part of Carr’s game that excites me the most is his fearlessness. He knows how to layer the ball over defenders and isn’t scared to take shots down the field. Has the arm strength to make these types of throws, and in his first year, he showed the ability to read the entire field. On top of it all, he can make throws off-platform as well. His decision-making and overall accuracy can improve for next season, but he’s a real candidate to sneak into the first round next year.

Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss

More fans probably know Chambliss because of Ole Miss’s run last season, but his story is just as inspiring as Mestemakers’. Chambliss was a zero-star recruit and committed to Ferris State out of high school. He played basketball in high school as well, earning spots on the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan all-state team and the 2020 Detroit News all-state team.

Chambliss played 23 games and started 16 for Ferris State and led the team to their third straight national title in 2024. He was named a first-team All-American in 2024 by the Associated Press. Chambliss entered the transfer portal as a three-star and was the 60th quarterback in the class, and settled on Ole Miss. He wasn’t supposed to be the starter, but when Austin Simmons went down with an injury, it was his time to shine.

He started 13 games and threw for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns with three interceptions. He earned 2025 SEC Newcomer of the Year and All-SEC second team (coaches and PFSN). Chambliss is an elite playmaker when he’s asked to be, and he has good accuracy with ball placement down the sideline. Pocket presence is good, and he has a fast release, making it easy to get the ball out in tight situations. He’s on the smaller size and struggled to anticipate throws over the middle, but there’s a lot to like within his game.

LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

It feels like every year, Sellers is being brought up as a potential quarterback for the next draft, and you wouldn’t be wrong if you thought that. The intriguing part with him is the size he packs at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, with the elite arm he has to push the ball down the field. He was a three-star recruit out of high school and committed to South Carolina, redshirting his freshman year. He started in 2024 and was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, earning third-team All-SEC honors.

In 2025, he started 12 games, throwing for 2,433 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. It was a down year for Sellers, but the offensive line situation didn’t help much, as the team gave up 147 quarterback pressures, the most in the SEC.

When kept clean, Sellers was able to show off his playmaking and arm talent, but you can tell throughout the games that his technique got sloppy. Sellers lack anticipation the most, and have to improve his decision-making. If he can do those two things, he’ll be a hot name throughout next spring.