College football and NFL teams are gearing up for the 2026 season to officially begin. 

On the college side, NFL scouts have been making their rounds across the country, taking their school visits for the area they scout for their respective NFL teams. In those travels, a lot of context, conversation, and analysis begins. 

The games this fall will ultimately tell the story of these 2027 NFL Draft prospects and their upside next April and into their NFL careers. However, this is where scouts begin to gain a deeper understanding of each of these players, talk to the coaches, the personnel people, and everyone who knows every detail about each one of these prospects. They also have the opportunity to see them live in person in a practice setting to see who are the next wave of great prospects for the 2027 class.

The quarterback position is one that is extremely intriguing. Some believe it could be historic, others believe it is overrated, and usually the truth lies somewhere in between. 

Over the last several days, I’ve spoken to four to five different scouting sources currently in the league to get some insight into that quarterback class, and that includes some of the top names. Here are the details I’ve uncovered, the conversations I’ve had, and some things to know early about a quarterback class that is far from cemented. 

There are players with upside who could completely flip the narrative of the class, others who might be slightly overrated, and even more talented signal callers to know. Let’s also talk about the current stocks for these players compared to what some of the early conversations have been.

Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State)

Mestemaker is a very intriguing storyline. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound signal caller famously hadn’t played a game of high school football at quarterback since his freshman year, having served as a safety and an all-district punter in high school. 

He started his first game in 2024 at North Texas as a true freshman. Now a redshirt sophomore, Mestemaker is coming off a dynamic year where he led college football in passing yardage. He followed head coach Eric Morris from North Texas to Oklahoma State and has had a ton of fanfare and hype so far this offseason. 

Despite his young age, he is certainly a 2027 quarterback to keep a close eye on.

When speaking to a current area scout, they said:

“I owe him a little bit of an apology based on my early film work. That’s a starting quarterback. Not a franchise one, but one that should start in the NFL for a long time. Obviously he’s got to do it against good competition, but when you see him in person, it starts to all make sense. 

“It won’t— the arm won’t wow you in person, but when you do see him, you’re like, okay, I get it. To be honest, he’s a lot like a Kirk Cousins type but has a lot more athleticism. Plus, the character and makeup is outstanding too. He’s going to go high as long as he can, as long as he can match close to the production he had at North Texas.”

Based on that synopsis, it does sound like the NFL has a pretty high opinion on Mestemaker so far. 

I verified and cross-checked some of that information with a couple of their scouting friends. He is definitely a player to watch next April, even as a redshirt sophomore.

Stock: Rising

Arch Manning (Texas)

That same area scout also made his travels recently to Texas, where he saw Arch Manning in person. This source has been high on Manning in the past, citing his combination of arm talent, athleticism, and general makeup that should make him a very high favorite to be the first overall selection in the 2027 class. 

However, the latest visit tempered some of that enthusiasm.

That scout said:

“I really do like Manning, but when I saw him in person, he was just fine. His arm has definitely gotten a little stronger. He’s up to about 230 pounds right now. But the reviews have been mixed with him. I’ve crossed paths with a bunch of scouts in my area for other teams, and there’s several that just say that they don’t quite see it with Manning from a talent perspective. I still believe in him, but I do understand that he’s not going to be for everyone.”

The Manning conversation is going to be fascinating. The first half of the 2025 season was a mess and a roller coaster, but Manning did put together a really nice slate down the stretch. 

While he doesn’t have a bazooka for an arm, his arm is talented and he’s an outstanding overall athlete. I’m going to bet on him taking the next step going into 2026.

Stock: Holding steady 

CJ Carr (Notre Dame)

A different source had been out to see Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr recently during fall camp. During that day, Carr apparently had a rough one, throwing three interceptions during practice and not looking overly impressive. 

Despite that, the source remains high on Carr’s outlook to potentially go high next April if he declares as a redshirt sophomore.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound signal caller has some natural maturing that needs to happen on the field, but there are fans around the league right now who do value Carr’s confidence and arm talent, although a lot want to see him be able to take his game to the next level and utilize his legs a whole lot more. 

There apparently is even a little bit of a wager out there in the scouting community on Carr potentially being the No. 1 overall pick. Only time will tell, and it will depend on what type of season he has for the Fighting Irish and if he ultimately decides to declare (I still have my doubts). 

It certainly sounds like there is a high opinion of Carr around the league, even if he hasn’t been overly impressive for a couple scouts who have been through there in recent weeks.

Stock: Holding steady 

Julian Sayin (Ohio State)

This one was blunt. Directly from a source, their national scout said:

“He said he’s average as hell. He was there last week. He didn’t even say he was solid. He straight up said he’s not very good and they will lose a national championship because of him.”

Now that might be a little bit extreme and slightly hyperbolic, but from sources I’ve talked to around the NFL, there is that common opinion out there that Julian Sayin might just be a good college quarterback who is buoyed a little bit by the talent around him. I don’t think there’s this huge fascination with the tools he has or the upside he brings to the table. 

If anything, his tools are well below average. Sayin will have to win with his mind and be about as perfect as you can be from a technical perspective, which is possible, but even then, the tools leave a lot to be desired.

Stock: Trending down

DJ Lagway (Baylor)

This is the one I was not expecting. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound signal caller transferred from Florida this offseason after a turbulent couple of years in Gainesville. It looked like his confidence was shot and his body may have been in even worse shape with really big durability concerns. 

Despite that, Lagway has made quite an impression on scouts who have been through Baylor this offseason.

According to one area scout:

“No bullshit, Lagway was the best quarterback I saw all August, and I saw all the top 6 in next year’s class. I went in there ready to throw him in the trash. He is easily the best arm talent of anyone that I saw this offseason, and it’s not close, to be honest. But then again, he was a 5-star for a reason. This offseason was the first one he’s ever had, at least a full one. I was more impressed with how decisive and accurate he was. He just has never been available for a complete offseason, and he’s beginning to turn heads.”

A different scout said:

“The Lagway stuff was funny, because I kept passing scouts who kept saying how good he looked for like 2 weeks before I visited, and I’m like, yeah right. And they were my second to last visit. When I got there, it became apparent that they were telling the truth.”

Talent has never been the issue for Lagway, but can he be consistently available, and can he be consistent as a decision-maker on the field? Those are the questions worth keeping a close eye on.

Stock: Trending upward fast

Darian Mensah (Miami)

A source on the NFC side said their national scout was out to see Mensah recently. They had a pretty decent grade on him last year in case he would have declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, but he apparently had a really off practice when the scout was out to see him. 

Mensah does look sturdier in person, but decision-making is still a little bit of a work in progress, and the ball tends to die on him outside the numbers. He needs to have a big year in Miami, which most people expect him to, but there are still some areas of concern that need to be ironed out.

Stock: Trending downward slightly

Nico Iamaleava (UCLA)

The former Tennessee transfer is one of the toolsier quarterbacks in the 2027 NFL Draft class. At 6-5.5 and 210 pounds, he’s a talented athlete who has arguably the biggest arm in the class. When he was at Tennessee, Iamaleava showed a lot of promise, but last offseason went really ugly after some higher NIL demands. 

He eventually ended up at UCLA, where he started out slow but really had a strong second half of the year for the Bruins.

According to a West Coast scout who has been out to see Iamaleava recently, he looks awesome and the talent around him is a ton better than it was a year ago. There are many around the NFL who have labeled Iamaleava as the potential big riser in the class if he can check off all the boxes off the field. 

The on-the-field talent has never been a question. He is certainly a riser to keep a close eye on.

Stock: Trending upward fast

John Mateer (Oklahoma)

I spoke to a source last season about Mateer after the Michigan game, and they were all in for him being a high-end 2026 NFL Draft prospect. The elbow injury and inconsistency ruined his year, but the hype is starting to build again after what sounds like a strong offseason. 

Sources around the NFL have bought into the work ethic Mateer brings to the table, and there’s no question he can throw the football at a high level when he’s locked in. He’s also a very gifted athlete.

Mateer is the type of player you are going to need to bet on the person in order to get over the rocky last few months. That has not shaken some people around the NFL. He is one of the easier “he’s going to go higher” candidates than people are projecting him right now. 

There are still a lot of people who believe in the talent Mateer brings to the table.

Stock: Holding steady but slight upward trend