NFL Scouts Eye Potential for Arch Manning, 2027 NFL Draft QB Class to Make History in Round 1

Six quarterbacks were selected in the top 12 of the 2024 NFL draft.

Next April, it wouldn't be surprising to see something similar happen again, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel.

"There could end up being five quarterbacks taken in the top 10, which would make this a very, very strong class," one scout told Thamel. "There's guys on this list that will come back."

The latest B/R NFL Scouting Department mock draft had four quarterbacks going in the top eight: Miami's Darian Mensah, Texas' Arch Manning, Oregon's Dante Moore and Notre Dame's CJ Carr.

There are a few reasons for this, per Thamel, one of which he cited as "simple supply and demand in a cyclical industry."

Ultimately, numerous teams don't have a comfortable long-term answer at quarterback right now, so they could be in great demand this year.

"Scouts say they wouldn't be surprised if five or six quarterbacks ended up in the first round this year," Thamel said. "There's an argument that nearly half of the teams in the NFL could at least consider drafting a quarterback high in 2027."

"There's just more guys this year," another scout told Thamel. "Some is guys going back to school. Some [is guys] leaving early. It's a perfect storm."

The record for most quarterbacks taken in the first round of the NFL draft is six, set in 1983 and matched in 2024, when five went in the top 10 alone before the Denver Broncos selected Bo Nix at No. 12.

Aside from the aforementioned quartet of Mensah, Manning, Moore and Carr, other prospects who can go Round 1 next year include LSU's Sam Leavitt, Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, among others.

We're still some time away from the next NFL draft, which begins Thursday, April 29 in Washington, D.C. In the meantime, Week 3 of the college football season begins shortly. The first big NFL draft quarterback prospect on the docket is Mensah, whose Hurricanes will visit Wake Forest on Friday night.