Mel Kiper Jr. Breaks Down 2027 NFL Draft's Strongest, Weakest Position Groups in Video

Most NFL teams looking for running back help might be waiting until later in the 2027 draft to target the position, according to ESPN's Field Yates and Mel Kiper Jr.

Yates and Kiper broke down the strongest and weakest positions in the 2027 NFL draft on Wednesday's episode of First Draft.

Yates and Kiper named stacked positions as quarterback, wide receiver, edge rusher, tight end, safety and defensive tackle while raising questions about the depth of interior offensive linemen, running backs and offensive tackles.

Yates named Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker and Notre Dame's CJ Carr as first-tier options at quarterback ahead of a second tier of Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss, Miami's Darian Mensah, Texas' Arch Manning and Oregon's Dante Moore.

He and Kiper went on to describe a third tier of USC's Jayden Maiava and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers as well as Day 3 options like North Texas' Tayven Jackson and Northern Arizona's Ty Pennington.

"We're not going to have six quarterbacks go in the top 12. I think there's still a chance we could see four or five go in the first round, and a lot of good depth across the board in this entire class," Yates said.

The ESPN analysts also described wide receiver as a strong class led by Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Indiana's Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh, LSU's Jackson Harris and Oklahoma State's Justin Bowick.

"The depth of talent— I could 25 deep with guys I think we feel pretty strongly about," Kiper said about the 2027 wide receiver class.

On the weaker side of the draft, Yates named an interior offensive line class led by Minnesota's Greg Johnson.

Kiper also described running back as a relatively weak position behind a potential first-round pick in Florida's Jadan Baugh in part because of injuries to Ole Miss' Kewan Lacy and Missouri's Ahmad Hardy.

He added he doesn't see an offensive tackle as a top-10 option barring a strong finish from LSU's Jordan Seaton.

Kiper recently dropped his latest 2027 NFL draft big board, which featured Smith and Mestemaker as the top two available prospects. Smith is also featured as the draft's top option on Bleacher Report's latest big board.

The Los Angeles Chargers are currently projected to sit atop the 2027 NFL draft order after an 0-7 start to the season, followed by two single-win teams in the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins.