Mel Kiper 2027 NFL Mock Draft Drops in New Video with Field Yates, Does Arch Manning Go No. 1?

Ahead of Week 1 of the 2026 college football season, experts are already looking ahead to the 2027 NFL draft.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates unveiled their latest mock draft on Monday, and they surprisingly predicted that Oregon quarterback Dante Moore would be the No. 1 overall pick ahead of Texas signal-caller Arch Manning. The full top 10 from Kiper and Yates' mock draft is as follows:

1. Miami Dolphins: Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
2. New York Jets: Arch Manning, QB, Texas
3. Cleveland Browns: CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
4. Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
5. Las Vegas Raiders: Colin Simmons, Edge, Texas
6. Tennessee Titans: Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
7. Carolina Panthers: Dylan Stewart, Edge, South Carolina
8. New Orleans Saints: Ellis Robinson IV, CB, Georgia
9. Atlanta Falcons: Darian Mensah, QB, Miami
10. New York Giants: Cam Coleman, WR, Texas

Both Manning and Moore would've had the opportunity to enter the 2026 NFL draft, but they opted to return to college to gain more experience. Yates and Kiper touted Texas and Oregon as national championship contenders, and Kiper explained that both need to show improvement throughout the year to solidify their spots atop the 2027 draft.

"You took Moore, I'm taking Arch. I'm taking Arch Manning here, Eli with the Giants, Arch with the Jets. And Arch has gotta get better. We talked about Dante Moore's gotta get better, right? Arch better get better in terms of accuracy," Kiper said (9:05 mark). "If you're gonna run around and keep using your legs, run it. You gotta be able to extend plays and hit those receivers, not just put it in the area, it's making a precise and accurate throw, not missing easy opportunities. He's gonna have tons of weapons. ... There's no excuses for Dante, there's no excuses for Arch."

Interestingly, Kiper and Yates aren't the only experts who expect that Manning won't be the first quarterback off the board in the 2027 draft. B/R's NFL Scouting Department predicted in its latest mock draft that the Arizona Cardinals would use the No. 1 pick to select Miami transfer quarterback Darian Mensah, while Manning fell to the New York Jets at No. 3.

The 2026 college football season will serve as the proving ground for every prospect as they try to improve their draft stock before making the jump to the NFL next year.