The past two NFL draft classes haven't been flush with early-pick quarterbacks, as only two were selected in Round 1 each year. That shouldn't be an issue for the 2027 draft, with household names such as Texas' Arch Manning and Oregon's Dante Moore leading the way. But the loaded class doesn't stop there.
I'm setting the stage for the 2027 quarterback class below, with an introduction to 22 signal-callers NFL evaluators are watching. One of those quarterbacks is Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby, whose status for the 2026 college football season and the 2027 draft is in question after he was deemed ineligible by the school and the NCAA after admitting to making hundreds of bets on college sports. For the sake of this exercise, I included him for now.
I hit on each passer's strengths and weaknesses, and then I answered a couple of questions about NFL teams that might take a long look at these signal-callers next spring. Let's get to it, with players in each section listed in alphabetical order.
Jump to a section: Top names | One question mark Best of the rest | QB-needy NFL teams
Top names to know
CJ Bailey, NC State
Height: 6-foot-6 | Weight: 210 pounds Class: Junior
Where he excels: Bailey was one of the better non-draft-eligible passers I saw when live scouting last season. In his second season as the starter, he finished with 3,105 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has the arm to drive the ball in the middle of the field and complete passes vertically. He also can be an asset in the QB-designed run game with his long strides, which help him outrace defenders. Bailey turned 20 years old earlier in May and still needs more experience, but he's a prime candidate to make a big rise this season.
Where he needs work: Bailey must add mass to his frame, but there's room to do so. His play in big games needs to improve as well, as five of his nine interceptions last season came against ranked opponents, including his two worst games (Notre Dame and Miami). Bailey's base and mechanics under pressure can get wonky and lead to poor ball placement or hanging onto the ball too long, resulting in avoidable sacks.