Kiper updates his 2027 Big Board: Ranking the top 25 NFL draft prospects

Mel Kiper Jr. is already excited about the 2027 NFL draft class. ESPN's longtime draft analyst updated his Big Board on Friday, ranking the top 25 prospects with roughly half the college football season in the bank — and quarterbacks dominate the conversation.

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith holds the No. 1 spot. With 52 catches for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns through seven games, Smith is "very clearly the best player in this draft class," Kiper wrote.

Seven quarterbacks crack the top 25. Drew Mestemaker of Oklahoma State is the highest at No. 2 after throwing for 2,326 yards and 20 touchdowns, while Miami's Darian Mensah — the national leader in completion percentage (81.4%) and QBR (89.8) — sits at No. 4. Ole Miss's Trinidad Chambliss (No. 7), Notre Dame's CJ Carr (No. 10), Missouri's Austin Simmons (No. 12), Texas's Arch Manning (No. 24) and Oregon's Dante Moore (No. 25) round out the quarterback group.

Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam is the biggest riser, debuting at No. 6 after a breakout start to the season. Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons, with 10.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss, is fifth.

Kiper stresses this is not a mock draft — there are no predictions about where players will land, just his current prospect rankings, plus the best players at each position. He will keep updating the board through draft day.