With us being just a couple of months from the start of the college football season, it’s time for the first scouting notebook of the 2027 Draft. Throughout the year and leading up to the draft, I hope to produce these notebooks, sharing my notes and overall thoughts on the 2027 NFL draft class.

So far, I’ve studied the offensive skill positions. For the summer scouting process, I’m going 10 players deep at every position before expanding those rankings once the college football season gets underway.

Running back class is fun

The running back class for the 2026 NFL draft lacked depth. Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price were the two clear top backs, but after that, there wasn’t much excitement for the rest. It’ll be a different narrative for this 2027 class.

For me, there isn’t a clear No. 1 option when it comes to this class, but my early favorite is Florida’s Jadan Baugh, who ran for 1,168 yards last season. He’s a big back at 6-foot-1, 231 pounds, but doesn’t move as much as his size suggests. When watching him, I struggled to find negatives, as I felt he had a lot of strength and agility in his game. He had the patience, vision and speed to make any running scheme work. Now it’s all about consistency in 2026.

I can see him being a first-rounder alongside Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy and Mississippi’s Ahmad Hardy. Lacy brings a powerful frame, standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 200 pounds. He had 300 carries for Ole Miss in 2025 and fumbled just three times. Hardy is a smaller, more agile back than the first two, and had 1,648 yards last season on 257 carries. He’s dangerous on runs outside the tackles, but he’ll need to show more confidence and consistency between them to solidify first-round status.

Those three are no doubt the top three of this class for me, but when you get even deeper, there are some fun Day 2 options. Louisville’s Isaac Brown, Georgia Tech’s Justice Haynes and Texas’ Hollywood Smothers are three backs who stand out to me. All three have questions to answer. But you can see why an NFL team could fall in love with them on Day 2 of the draft.

Brown offers more of that lighter, faster back that NFL teams love to utilize in the zone running game. Haynes can be just about anything you want him to be; he just needs to have a healthy season, and Smothers has elite vision mixed with light feet, making him a fun prospect.

A later option that I think is just as fun is BYU’s LJ Martin. He’s a senior this season and, no doubt, a heavier back when carrying the rock. He won’t wow with speed or agility, but he will run over some players before going down. His vision is great, he can block in pass pro, and catch the ball out of the backfield. His overall speed will push him back in this draft, but he’s a fun Day 3 player to keep your eyes tabbed on.

Another deep TE group?

There were 22 tight ends drafted in the 2026 draft, as it was a very deep group. Will it be the same for 2027? I’d have to say no early on, but there are some fun prospects I’ve watched, and I could see this being another group where we see around 20 going off the board.

The first two are Oregon’s Jamari Johnson and LSU’s Trey’Dez Green. Both are mismatches for defenses with the size they’re packing. Johnson played with Kenyon Sadiq last season and looked like the better player at times. He can line up in an in-line block, which is a major plus; he also has excellent acceleration for someone his size. He sinks his hips at the top of routes and separates naturally, which is often taken for granted. Green is just a freakish athlete at his position. He needs to work on being more of a blocker, but the way he moves just doesn’t look real at times. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin will have fun finding ways to utilize Green’s skillset.

Something we’ve noticed over the years is the importance of being able to line up in line and block. NFL teams still place a premium on tight ends who can contribute in both phases of the game. It’s a reason I’m more skeptical of prospects like Penn State’s Benjamin Brahmer, who’s a great receiver, but struggles to line up and block. For that very same reason, that’s why I’m excited for Peter Clarke of Temple and Brody Foley of Louisville.

Clarke is 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds and had 483 yards at Temple last season. He has the true size to operate in the NFL and gives tremendous effort in the run game. He knows how to get to his spots in the passing game and showed the ability to track the ball effectively. He’s not the most agile, but he can find a role on an NFL team as a second tight end. Foley is a little more athletic and, at Tulsa last season, was trusted to carry the ball in goal-line situations. He transferred to Louisville this offseason and will step foot into the Power 4 for the fifth time since 2024. He tracks the ball so naturally, has strong hands to make catches, and then turns upfield. He could improve on creating separation on shorter routes, but he should be in play for a Day 3 selection in 2027.

Before we move on, I wanted to list some other players whom I have questions about but am intrigued by. Kansas State’s Garrett Oakley, California’s Dorian Thomas, and Texas Tech’s Terrance Carter Jr. all had fun moments when watching them, but felt they all struggled to be efficient blockers, which is something each can improve on. Carter is smaller at 6-foot-2 but has the acceleration to be a real mismatch for defenders.

The Sorsby ruling saved the quaterback class

Looking at the Brendan Sorsby ruling strictly through an NFL Draft lens, it gave this quarterback class a massive boost. The top two names in this class are Texas’s Arch Manning and Oregon’s Dante Moore. Aside from those two, the reality is that there were many questions throughout the rest of the class. The only guy I could confidently say would be a first-round pick in 2027 was Sorsby, but he obviously battled legal issues. Don’t be surprised if Manning, Moore and Sorsby all went top five in 2027.

A major problem with the media is hyping up the next draft class, and I’m sure you’ve heard the 2027 class is “generational.” It has some fun names and could live up to that hype, but the quaterback group has a lot of question marks. Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Miami’s Darian Mensah likely will be the next two names talked about after the top three. I want to put Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker up here, but he’s making a jump up to the Power 4. Reality is, he’ll likely stay in school and not declare for the 2027 NFL draft. Carr and Mensah are both pocket passers, but have traits that NFL teams could look for.

The rest of the class is just littered with question marks, and even Carr as well as Mensah could bomb out in 20267. South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and LSU’s Sam Leavitt were both candidates for the 2026 class, but neither made real strides throughout the season. They’ll have another shot this season, but both could be mid-round picks with their athletic traits. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin gets a lot of criticism for how he played in the playoffs, but he’s a smart, accurate quaterback. I want to see his playmaking improve in 2026, but he has the brain and arm to get the ball where it needs to be. He’s smaller, which hurts him, but another productive season, he could be a Day 2, dare I say Day 1 if EVERYTHING goes right for him. You could say that about any quaterback, but Sayin showed the type of accuracy he possesses, which is better than a lot of college quarterbacks.

The receivers are led by two players

The receiver class is led by two names: Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Texas’ Cam Coleman. Both are rare athletes who move at an incredible speed for players of their size. They’ll both be top 10 picks.

Looking at the rest of the class, there are intriguing names who I think could blossom into the first round. ASU’s Omarion Miller and Indiana’s Charlie Becker are the first two. Miller has the speed to beat any defense over the top and the ball-tracking skills to make special catches over the shoulder. Becker needs to work on his route-running as a whole, but he has athletic traits that pop off the screen. A more efficient season from him, and he could sneak into the first round.

Clemson’s Bryant Wesco Jr. is a special talent. He was on track to earn all-conference honors last season, but an injury silenced him for the rest of the season. He’s back and healthy, looking to make an impact on Clemson’s 2026 season. His route running is special. Paces his routes well, can decelerate effectively, and doesn’t have to fully stop to make cuts. He has it all; he just needs a healthy season.

Some more options include Rutgers’ KJ Duff, Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Young, and Alabama’s Ryan Coleman-Williams. They all have traits that scream NFL, but will need to be more consistent across all aspects of their game to get into Day 1 or 2 conversations.