Arch Manning Falls, Drew Mestemaker Rises in NFL Scouts' Poll of Top QB in 2027 Draft

NFL scouts and executives have cooled on Arch Manning and become enamored with Drew Mestemaker in analyzing the top quarterbacks eligible for the 2027 draft.

In a survey of 25 league scouts and executives conducted by ESPN's Pete Thamel , Mestemaker is clearly viewed as the No. 1 quarterback in the upcoming class with 17 votes.

Notre Dame's CJ Carr (four votes), Miami's Darian Mensah (three) and Oregon's Dante Moore (one) split the remaining eight votes.

Manning, who was the No. 2 QB in Thamel's preseason survey from Sept. 12 with seven votes, received zero this time.

From the original survey, Thamel noted multiple scouts included Mestemaker among a group of quarterbacks who could play themselves into the first-round mix if they performed well.

Now, there appears to be very little doubt among this particular group that Mestemaker is the primary signal-caller to keep an eye on looking at the 2027 draft.

"Mestemaker seems like the only real choice at this point," one scout told Thamel.

In his first season with Oklahoma State after transferring from UNLV, Mestemaker has thrown for 2,326 yards and 20 touchdowns through seven games.

B/R's NFL scouting department ranked Mestemaker as the No. 7 quarterback in the upcoming draft on its most recent big board released on Sept. 22.

Mensah was at the top the class for B/R, earning plaudits for being the most accurate and most pro-ready quarterback in the group.

Manning's on-field play has not yet hit the level that his raw talent suggests he can reach. He has thrown as many interceptions in seven games this season as he did in 13 games last year (seven).

The timing of Manning's turnovers is amplifying his struggles. Three of his last four interceptions came in the fourth quarter, including two against Oklahoma that led to 10 points in a 27-24 Texas loss.

Despite some of those issues for Manning, Thamel did note multiple scouts believe he could still end up being a first-round pick thanks to his "tools, pedigree and potential."

It's also going to be interesting to see how the 2027 quarterback class looks when all is said and done.

Manning and Moore, who is likely to miss the remainder of the season due to a concussion, still have college eligibility remaining. Neither player has indicated at this point what they plan to do.

The tentative deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2027 draft is Jan. 13.