The 2027 NFL Draft order is nowhere close to being set, but the quarterback class is starting to come into focus.

On the latest episode of Best Pod Available, my co-host Joe DeLeone and I looked at six of the most quarterback-needy teams in the NFL. We tried to find the best quarterback fit for the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Minnesota Vikings, regardless of where they end up picking.

I don’t think there is a bust-proof quarterback in this class, and nobody comes close to that type of floor. That makes fit even more important. A couple of these matches feel too good to pass up.

New York Jets: Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State)

The Jets continue to find ways to lose, and their search for a franchise quarterback has dragged on for years. If you ask me, Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker is the player they should target.

He stands 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4 and weighs around 215 to 220 pounds. He’s a good athlete; his arm strength took a jump this year, and he is still an ascending prospect. Geno Smith also gives New York a bridge, so Mestemaker can be eased in slowly.

The player I think they will target is Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr. I can’t fully explain why, but the Jets feel like a team that would prioritize him. DeLeone isn’t convinced Carr has done enough to warrant declaring. The Miami-Notre Dame game this week could swing that conversation in either direction.

Joe compared Mestemaker to Drake Maye with the Patriots because of the live arm, the mobility, and the franchise-quarterback frame. In a division with Buffalo and New England, New York can’t settle for marginal.

Jets fans are starving for a quarterback they can get excited about, and Mestemaker provides that jolt.

Miami Dolphins: Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss)

Joe had Mestemaker and Miami quarterback Darian Mensah (Miami) for the Dolphins, especially with Malik Willis capable of starting next season. I went with Trinidad Chambliss. Both Chambliss and Willis are undersized quarterbacks who bring a running element, and I think that pairing could help his early development.

Additionally, head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan spent the last several years in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That operation loved to push the ball vertically and test windows. Chambliss can test windows that Mensah can’t test as consistently, so he feels like this staff’s type of quarterback.

Cleveland Browns: LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina)

Joe and I both landed on LaNorris Sellers. Browns coach Todd Monken has a history with mobile quarterbacks, going back to his time with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. Sellers is 6-3, 245 pounds, and will probably run a 4.5-something 40-yard dash.

He is still erratic. Against Oklahoma, he threw one of the worst interceptions you’ll see, to Kip Lewis, along with two of the best throws of the season. For weeks, he looked shell-shocked. Now he is taking chances again and pushing the ball vertically. I’m very optimistic we are seeing a turning point.

Monken has also changed my perspective on Cleveland. When he was hired, I thought he might be a one-and-done coach. I trust him much more now. Here’s the thing about Sellers, though: I think the Browns are his only perfect fit. With the wrong coach, he could end up like Anthony Richardson.

Pittsburgh Steelers: CJ Carr (Notre Dame) or Arch Manning (Texas)

I floated Sellers for Pittsburgh because of vertical receivers like DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., but Joe doesn’t think Steelers coach Mike McCarthy would know what to do with Sellers.

He believes he’d try to force him into being a pocket passer. Joe’s alternative was Chambliss, the most ready-to-play quarterback in the class, who will be 26 years old and could be very Russell Wilson-ish.

I had two other names. Carr throws a good deep ball, which matters with those receivers. The other was Arch Manning. I think he goes back to school for another year, and he probably should. If he does declare, his beautiful deep ball and Pittsburgh’s stable, winning culture would make for an appealing combination.

Arizona Cardinals: Darian Mensah (Miami)

The Cardinals may play themselves out of range for the top guys. Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur comes from the Shanahan and McVay tree, and that system has thrived with Brock Purdy in San Francisco. Purdy is my ceiling comp for Mensah. Neither one is a big quarterback, but both are accurate throwers with good touch. Mensah would fit nicely in a timing-based offense built on play action and moving the pocket.

Joe likes Arch here too. It was curious to see that Arizona ranks 30th in play-action rate, even with Trey McBride and Michael Wilson. I have a feeling we will be talking about this offense very differently this time next year.

Minnesota Vikings: A veteran trade

The Vikings only have one loss, so I don’t expect them to be in range for a young quarterback.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is a veteran quarterback rehabilitator, and he doesn’t want a young passer to groom. If Minnesota did want a rookie, Mestemaker would make the most sense stylistically.

Justin Herbert is the name to watch. We’re also making a new rule on the podcast: no quarterback with five touchdown passes and 10 interceptions gets called elite. Herbert does not fit what Mike McDaniel is trying to run, but he would work tremendously well in O’Connell’s offense. It’s no secret there is some attraction between O’Connell and Herbert.

We still don’t know who will coach several of these teams next season, and that will change the picture. Expect us to revisit this conversation before April.