Charlie Campbell
The early part of the 2027 NFL Draft process started over the spring with the advance scouts putting together their preseason watchlist based on their film study and visiting colleges in their territory. The preseason watch lists are shared with the teams that are part of National Football Scouting or the Blesto scouting service. Looking at the 2026 preseason watch list, the highest-rated quarterback is the highly hyped Arch Manning of Texas.
Manning was a highly hyped prodigy for years before he started his college career at Texas. As the nephew of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, Arch Manning was one of the most highly coveted recruits in college football history. He picked Texas and initially was a backup to Quinn Ewers. He saw his first significant action in 2024 when Ewers was out with an injury. Manning completed 68 percent of his passes (61-of-90) for 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had four rushing touchdowns. After the season, Texas gave the starting quarterback spot to Manning after they pushed Ewers out, urging him to enter the transfer portal or the NFL Draft.
To open the 2025 season, Manning struggled against Ohio State before beating up on some weak opponents. He underwhelmed in a loss to Florida, but rebounded with a solid performance to beat rival Oklahoma. In late October, the Longhorns were way down in the third quarter to Mississippi State, and Manning led a comeback win in overtime. Manning concluded the season with solid performances against Georgia, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Michigan. In 2025, Manning completed 61 percent of his passes for 3,163 yards with 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He had 10 rushing touchdowns. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Manning has the size that NFL teams like in a starting quarterback. Click here for a preseason scouting report on Manning..
The preseason grades are not set in stone, and scouts will forget them soon. In the 2018 preseason, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray and Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams were not on the preseason watch list. Yet Murray became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and Williams went third a few months later. There have been other late-round projections, such as Joe Burrow, who ended up skyrocketing during the season. Other players had high preseason projections but were mid- or late-round picks months later. Thus, the value is more of a watch list than a reflection of players’ abilities. But entering the 2026 season, Smith, Moore, and Stewart are the highest-graded prospects, and I have them all going off the board quickly in my latest 2027 NFL Mock Draft.
Walt