You may have heard that the 2027 NFL Draft class could be an all-timer. I’ve been doing year-out mocks a long time, and 2027 has the highest number of preseason blue-chippers of any class I can remember. 

That being said, injuries and prospects returning to school can always change how it looks a year from now. 

I went through the top prospects at each position to compare how they’d fare against the top prospects in this year’s class as it stands right now.

2026 NFL Draft essentials

Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Arch Manning headlines loaded class of rising stars

Cooper Petagna

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I broke down Manning’s 2025 season in January and thought he finished looking like the prospect we were promised. Given he brings a stronger arm and better mobility than Mendoza, there would have been a real debate about who to take at the top of the draft had Manning declared. 

Thankfully, we get another season of tape to properly evaluate the Texas quarterback. I’m staying out of the fray on this one.

Advantage: Too close to call

Hardy is stylistically much closer to Ashton Jeanty than Jeremiyah Love. The Missouri junior has elite contact balance and refuses to go down. While I wouldn’t put him in the same breath as either of the top-10 picks from the past two seasons, Hardy has the talent to be a first-rounder in his own right. 

Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy and Louisville’s IIsaac Brown could join him among the top 32 as well. The only question is whether all the rising juniors will declare — or if playing out eligibility becomes the new norm for running backs not going in the top 10.

Advantage: 2026

Do I even need to debate this one? Smith should surpass Malik Nabers and Ja’Marr Chase as the top WR1 prospect I’ve ever scouted. Heck, new Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman should easily clear the grade I gave Concepcion this draft cycle. Next year will have some serious high-end talent.

Advantage: 2027 (by a mile)

I went with Green for the sheer shock value he brings as a prospect. The 6-foot-7 tight end will likely measure with the longest wingspan ever for the position. He looks like a power forward on the field and is used like one. I doubt he’ll be considered in a similar vein to Sadiq, though, who went No. 16 overall.

There’s a good chance the top option next year is Sadiq’s former Oregon teammate Jamari Johnson, who has a massive 6-foot-5 frame himself.

Advantage: 2026

This one was already settled on my initial big board before final declarations. Trevor Goosby would have been my OT1 in the 2026 class but decided to return to Texas for a fourth season. If he improves on what we saw down the stretch, he’ll be a top-five pick. 

Advantage: 2027

Because interior offensive line play demands so much strength, projecting a year out can be difficult. Comparing Pieper to Ioane is also like comparing apples to oranges, since Ioane is a guard only while Pieper is a center only. 

Still, Pieper is a bit of a project, but he’s the most athletic interior offensive lineman I’ve ever scouted. He’ll thrive taking over for Logan Jones at center this year. 

Advantage: 2026

While Bain was never going to be for everyone, Simmons will be. He is the prototype for the EDGE position in today’s NFL. He has the length and twitch to be a nightmare to protect against. He’s already racked up 105 pressures in two seasons at Texas, and I can’t wait to see what he does for an encore.

South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart deserves a shoutout as well, as he may be even more physically impressive than Simmons, albeit less refined. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder has freakish burst and bend for his size.

Advantage: 2027

Similar to the edge comparison, Stone is far more prototypical in his physical makeup. He’s incredibly powerful for a true sophomore, with bull-rush reps all over his tape. He has the body type to play anywhere along the defensive interior, whereas Woods will be more limited to 3-technique.

Defensive tackle is another position that demands a high level of strength, so when you see a youngster like Stone who already looks like a man among boys, you know he’ll be drafted highly when he comes out.

Advantage: 2027

We’ve got a long way to go in the 2027 linebacker class. Viliamu-Asa is the most prototypical box player right now, but Tennessee’s Arion Carter, South Carolina’s Fred Johnson and Clemson’s Sammy Brown are all intriguing athletes who could develop into top picks at the position.

None are as intriguing as Styles, though. The Ohio State linebacker is a true one-of-one athlete who will be tough to top anytime soon.

Advantage: 2026

As great as McCoy’s sophomore tape was, Moore’s was even better. He allowed only 201 yards all season while following the opposing team’s top receiver more often than not. Moore dominated 20th overall pick Makai Lemon in their matchup last fall. A fully healthy Moore is a likely top-five pick next year.

Advantage: 2027

I went back and forth between Georgia’s KJ Bolden a and Benefield, the Boise transfer, but ultimately went with Benefield’s more prototypical safety traits. 

It doesn’t matter either way, because neither hold a candle to Downs, whose tape as a true freshman was better than these players’ as sophomores and juniors.

Advantage: 2026

Arsenal want to sign Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, head coach Diego Simeone has claimed on the eve of their Champions League semi-final.

Alvarez, 26, has scored 20 times across 52 appearances for Atleti this season and is due to line up against the Gunners in the opening leg of their last-four clash at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Wednesday.

Alvarez has been linked with a move to north London and when asked about Arsenal’s possible interest in the former Manchester City striker, Simeone replied: “I am not in Julian Alvarez’s head.

“I just suppose it is normal. He is an extraordinary player. There is interest from Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and other teams. But it is nothing we are concerned about.”

Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres for £64million last summer and, despite hitting 18 goals so far in his debut campaign, he has struggled for consistency.

Gyokeres was benched for Arsenal’s top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month, and then again in their following fixture at home to Newcastle last weekend.

However, Kai Havertz picked up an injury in the opening half of Arsenal’s win, and he did not train at London Colney on Tuesday, meaning Gyokeres will likely start in Madrid.

Eberechi Eze was also unable to continue against Newcastle, but in a boost to Mikel Arteta, did join his team-mates for training.

After seeing off Tottenham in the round of 16, Atleti beat Barcelona to secure their place in the semi-finals. But Simeone’s side have lost six of their last nine games.

Like Arsenal, Atleti have never won the Champions League, and Simeone continued; “In terms of pressure, I don’t feel the pressure and it is exciting to be as close as we are and we have never achieved it before.

“It is a special excitement. Leadership defines these games and we need to be ready and take the game to where we believe we can punish them. We will have a very tough game, against a fantastic rival and we are very excited about it.”

Atleti captain Koke, whose contract expires at the end of the season, is set for his fourth and possibly last Champions League semi-final, with the Spanish club.

He said: “In the lead-up to these games, we are always excited. We feel butterflies in our stomach. It is just like a first date. Then once you start warming up it is all gone, it is just a football game, and you would be as excited as you would be for any semi-final.

“We expect a very strong Arsenal side and this is a Champions League semi-final and that is how we approach it.”

The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.

I play in a weekly league whose leaders have decided that the ball may be moved one club-length without penalty both in the general area and penalty areas. We don’t post our scores — but we are adhering to the league’s rules, and this doesn’t seem much different from the “ball in hand” played in many competitions due to course conditions. If we can’t post our scores, can the “lift, clean and place” crowd? – Clint Humphrey, Union, KY

Is it called “The Fast & Loose League”? Because it sounds like that’s how the powers that be are playing with the rules.

For starters, there’s a relief procedure to get out of penalty areas for one stroke and nothing that lets you just move a ball a club-length there.

But the real crux of the question seems to be: Are scores using preferred lies acceptable for posting purposes? The answer: The Committee at the golf course may adopt a Local Rule for preferred lies when course conditions warrant it. This Rule should be limited in duration and reviewed daily. Scores made while it’s in effect must (!) be posted for handicap purposes — unless score posting has been temporarily suspended.

You should check with the course before teeing off. Should you and your group adopt preferred lies on your own, your scores are still postable. That said, preferred lies should only be used when conditions justify it, because frequent use may yield a Handicap Index that’s too low, or what some people refer to as a “vanity-cap.”

For more score-posting guidance from our guru, read on …

The pace of play was really slow the other day, but the starter squeezed me in as a single. To kill time between shots, I played two balls, using the same ball first every shot and scoring only that ball. Can I post the round for handicap purposes? – Ray Mainville, McKinney, Texas

Rules Guy has been there, done that and bought the T-shirt, as the kids like to say nowadays. (Do they still say that? RG hopes so.)

What he didn’t do is post his score, because for a score to be acceptable for handicap purposes, the round must be played under the Rules of Golf — and playing two balls is not considered to be doing so.

The other fly in the ointment is that you also must play in the company of at least one other person for a score to be acceptable for handicap purposes. That was a somewhat controversial rules change but, remember, Rules Guy doesn’t make the rules — he’s just a guy who tries to elucidate them.

Want to find the right gear for your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

Virat Kohli (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)

Virat Kohli completed 9,000 IPL runs on Monday during the match against Delhi Capitals, finishing the game with back-to-back sixes. His next target is the special milestone of 10,000 IPL runs, which remains far away for other current players, even those in the top five. Although Kohli is already 37, raising some questions about longevity, former New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan believes he can achieve the feat without any doubt.Mitchell McClenaghan praised Virat Kohli’s remarkable consistency after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s emphatic nine-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2026 clash.RCB’s dominant win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday was set up by a fiery new-ball spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who dismantled Delhi’s batting line-up and bowled them out for just 75, the lowest total of the season. The chase was completed with ease, highlighting RCB’s all-round supremacy.Reflecting on Kohli’s sustained excellence in the tournament, McClenaghan highlighted the discipline and adaptability that have defined the veteran batter’s journey over the years, speaking on JioHotstar.“Virat Kohli has been incredibly consistent. Scoring 9000 IPL runs against the world’s best bowlers is no easy task. It’s about hunger, discipline, and adapting every year, and that’s what brings the best out of him. He has been in the IPL since 2008, and the best part is that he didn’t start his career as an opener. He batted in the lower middle order, fought for his place, then moved to number three. Later, he opened with Chris Gayle. That changed his game completely. He will soon reach 10,000 runs, without a doubt. Kohli is the greatest batter the IPL has ever seen, not just for the runs, but for how he has evolved and dominated across different eras,” McClenaghan told JioStar.