NFL training camp is now upon us, and sooner than later, football will be back on our TV screens. It’s been a long offseason with a lot of major events, but what do you do on the days when there’s nothing going on? For those who cover the NFL Draft, that means plenty of time to get ahead on next year’s class.
PFN draft analysts Ian Cummings and Jacob Infante have been using this summer to get ahead on preparations for the 2027 NFL Draft, which projects to be a loaded one. They have each put together their top five players at each position based on the evaluations they’ve done thus far.
There’s a lot that will change between now and next April, but early evaluations provide more context about a player’s strengths, weaknesses, and ability to progress year over year. With that said, let’s break down each position and compare how PFN’s NFL Draft analysts have each group stacked up.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 QBs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Dante Moore, Oregon
- Arch Manning, Texas
- CJ Carr, Notre Dame
- Drake Lindsey, Minnesota
- Darian Mensah, Miami (FL)
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 QBs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Dante Moore, Oregon
- Arch Manning, Texas
- Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
- Darian Mensah, Miami (FL)
- Julian Sayin, Ohio State
There’s agreement at the top of the quarterback class, with Dante Moore as the consensus QB1 and Arch Manning as the consensus QB2. There’s some disagreement about the rest of this quarterback class, though, and a lot of it boils down to where the underclassmen rank.
Every single quarterback in both Cummings’ and Infante’s top five has additional collegiate eligibility beyond the 2026 season. In particular, CJ Carr, Drake Lindsey, Drew Mestemaker, and Julian Sayin will all be redshirt sophomores this year. With the prevalence of NIL in today’s college football landscape, there’s no guarantee any of them will declare for the 2027 NFL Draft. That can make it difficult to forecast which quarterbacks will actually be in the next class.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 RBs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Jadan Baugh, Florida
- Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
- LJ Martin, BYU
- Isaac Brown, Louisville
- Antwan Raymond, Rutgers
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 RBs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Jadan Baugh, Florida
- Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
- Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
- Nate Frazier, Georgia
- LJ Martin, BYU
Like quarterback, there’s agreement in Jadan Baugh and Kewan Lacy being the two top running backs in next year’s draft class, in that order. Things get interesting beyond then, as you can see the difference in opinion beyond the RB2 spot.
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Ahmad Hardy is the big X-factor here, having been a consensus All-American in 2025 but also having been shot in the leg this offseason. His recovery and whether or not he plays for Missouri in 2026 could play a big impact on his draft stock. Outside of him, you have a big-bodied thumper with great vision in LJ Martin, two explosive backs in Nate Frazier and Isaac Brown, and a sleeper with strong spatial awareness in Antwan Raymond.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 WRs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
- Charlie Becker, Indiana
- Cam Coleman, Texas
- Omarion Miller, Arizona State
- Mario Craver, Texas A&M
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 WRs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
- Mario Craver, Texas A&M
- Cam Coleman, Texas
- Omarion Miller, Arizona State
- Charlie Becker, Indiana
Both Cummings and Infante have the same five wide receivers in their respective top five, just in different orders. The clear consensus WR1 is Jeremiah Smith, who stakes a strong claim as being the top overall prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft, regardless of position.
From there, it’s a matter of which flavor you prefer at wide receiver. Charlie Becker has a small sample size, but was elite down the stretch for Indiana in their championship run. Mario Craver is undersized but brings elite speed and good hands to the wide receiver position. Cam Coleman and Omarion Miller are two talented, big receivers with great ball skills who could thrive with better quarterback play in 2026.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 TEs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Jamari Johnson, Oregon
- Chris Corbo, Georgia Tech
- Peter Clarke, Temple
- Andrew Rappleyea, Penn State
- Trey’Dez Green, LSU
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 TEs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Jamari Johnson, Oregon
- Trey’Dez Green, LSU
- Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech
- DJ Vonnahme, Iowa
- Benjamin Brahmer, Penn State
Outside of Jamari Johnson being the consensus top tight end, this is where we see the most variance thus far. Johnson showed incredible athleticism and separation abilities for a tight end, and though he was technically Oregon’s second-string tight end behind 2026 first-round pick Kenyon Sadiq, he showed more than enough to warrant early-round consideration for 2027.
From there, you find very little consensus among this tight end group. If you prefer size at the position, players like Trey’Dez Green, Benjamin Brahmer, and Peter Clarke fit that bill. On the other end, players like Terrance Carter Jr. and DJ Vonnahme specialize more in athleticism. Keep an eye on Chris Corbo as a sleeper making the jump to the Power 4 over from the FCS level.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 OTs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Jordan Seaton, LSU
- Trevor Goosby, Texas
- Melvin Siani, Texas
- Trevor Lauck, Iowa
- PJ Williams, SMU
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 OTs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Jordan Seaton, LSU
- Trevor Goosby, Texas
- Trevor Lauck, Iowa
- Jacarrius Peak, South Carolina
- Blake Frazier, Michigan
It’s not a surprise to see Jordan Seaton and Trevor Goosby as the two top offensive tackles on both of these lists. Both have elite physical attributes and prototypical movement skills to project as potential top-ten picks in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Differences in the rest of the group stem heavily from positional projection, as two of Infante’s top five tackles (Trevor Lauck and Blake Frazier) also appear as top-five players for Cummings at different positions. Lauck particularly ranks as a top-five player at both tackle and guard for Cummings.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 Gs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Carter Smith, Indiana
- Austin Siereveld, Ohio State
- Greg Johnson, Minnesota
- Brandon Baker, Texas
- Trevor Lauck, Iowa
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 Gs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Carter Smith, Indiana
- Cayden Green, Missouri
- Austin Siereveld, Ohio State
- Anthonie Knapp, Notre Dame
- Brandon Baker, Texas
Indiana lost a lot of talent to the 2026 NFL Draft, but one of their best players from their championship run returns in offensive tackle Carter Smith. Both of our draft analysts project Smith to kick inside to guard, where he projects as the consensus top player at the position.
The biggest differential point here is Cayden Green, who appears as the No. 2 guard in Infante’s list but doesn’t appear in the top five for Cummings. Greg Johnson, Minnesota’s 6’6″, 325-pound behemoth at guard, cracks the top three for Cummings but doesn’t for Infante’s top five.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 Cs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Kade Pieper, Iowa
- Greg Johnson, Minnesota
- Iapani Laloulu, Oregon
- Braelin Moore, LSU
- Blake Frazier, Michigan
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 Cs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Kade Pieper, Iowa
- Iapani Laloulu, Oregon
- Drew Bobo, Georgia
- Justin Evans, Nebraska
- Sheridan Wilson, Texas Tech
There’s also quite a bit of variance between these two center lists, but there’s agreement in Kade Pieper from Iowa being the top in the class. The No. 11 guard in the FBS by PFN’s OL Impact Scoring in 2025, Pieper slides over to center with last year’s starter Logan Jones now in the NFL.
Each of the top six centers by the aforementioned metric in 2025 all left college football for the pros, so there’s a lot of turnover near the top. Iapani Laloulu demonstrated NFL-ready power and tenacity for Oregon last season. There’s a chance for positional changes in these rankings, as both Johnson and Frazier play other positions but could slide in at center at the next level.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 DTs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Justin Scott, Miami (FL)
- David Stone, Oklahoma
- William Echoles, Ole Miss
- Ahmad Moten, Miami (FL)
- A’Mauri Washington, Oregon
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 DTs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- David Stone, Oklahoma
- Ahmad Moten, Miami (FL)
- A’Mauri Washington, Oregon
- Will Echoles, Ole Miss
- Justin Scott, Miami (FL)
Similar to wide receiver, both Cummings’ and Infante’s top defensive tackles consist of the same five players, just in a different order. It figures to be a strong year for interior defensive linemen, which should be a nice change of pace from the 2026 NFL Draft’s weaker class, which only saw two defensive tackles go in Round 1.
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A’Mauri Washington fits the bill if you want a traditional run-stuffer, but the other four defensive tackles all specialize more with their athleticism along the interior. The Miami Hurricanes project well heading into the 2026 season; their two starting edge rushers were both first-round picks this year, and their two starting defensive tackles could both be first-round picks in 2027.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 EDGEs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Colin Simmons, Texas
- Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
- Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas
- Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Ohio State
- Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 EDGEs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Colin Simmons, Texas
- Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
- Damon Wilson II, Miami (FL)
- Taylor Wein, Oklahoma
- Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon
You can see different flavors of edge rushers sprinkled into the No. 3 and No. 4 spots on each of these rankings, though No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 are all the same in both. The consensus top two edge rushers, Colin Simmons and Dylan Stewart, project much higher than the rest of the field, though there’s plenty of time for that to change.
Players like Quincy Rhodes Jr. and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. both have prototypical size and measurements for the edge rusher position, along with the raw power to set the edge in the run game. Conversely, Damon Wilson II is much more of a speed rusher and pass-rushing specialist at this stage, while Taylor Wein is slightly smaller than the aforementioned two power rushers but plays with good hand activity and pad level.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 LBs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Sammy Brown, Clemson
- Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame
- Chris Cole, Georgia
- Cole Sullivan, Oklahoma
- Christian Alliegro, Ohio State
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 LBs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Sammy Brown, Clemson
- Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame
- Ben Roberts, Texas Tech
- Rasheem Biles, Texas
- Chris Cole, Georgia
In an off-ball linebacker class that currently doesn’t have a blue-chip prospect in the bunch, it was perhaps surprising to see both lists come away with a consensus top two players at the position. Sammy Brown is an intelligent form tackler with NFL-ready run support skills and good speed, and while Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is a big projection coming off an injury and having not been a full-time starter yet, his athletic and physical attributes are out of this world.
The only other player to appear in both lists is Chris Cole, who’s perhaps raw diagnosing in between the tackles but moves incredibly well and shows intriguing comfort in zone coverage across the middle of the field. Cole Sullivan also fits the mold of a raw player with impressive size and movement skills, Ben Roberts is a sound processor and reliable tackler with a higher floor, and Rasheem Biles is undersized yet an incredibly dynamic athlete.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 CBs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
- Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia
- Kelley Jones, Mississippi State
- Brice Pollock, Texas Tech
- Vicari Swain, South Carolina
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 CBs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
- Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia
- Zabien Brown, Alabama
- OJ Frederique Jr., Miami (FL)
- Chris Peal, Syracuse
Leonard Moore looked great as a freshman taking over for an injured Benjamin Morrison in 2024, and he followed that up with a unanimous All-American nod in 2025. Now heading into his junior year, he’s firmly in blue-chip territory as a prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft, with Ellis Robinson IV arguably not far behind with his elite athletic traits.
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From there, things get a little murky from a consensus standpoint, though there’s still plenty of players with upside. Kelley Jones is a bit skinny, but he’s 6’4″ with a massive catch radius and great ball skills, which helps him make plays on the ball at a high level. Zabien Brown’s fluidity, instincts, and physicality should make him a quality starter in the NFL for quite some time, as well.
Ian Cummings’ Top 5 SAFs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- Tae Johnson, Notre Dame
- KJ Bolden, Georgia
- Jelani McDonald, Texas
- Xavier Scott, Illinois
- Bray Hubbard, Alabama
Jacob Infante’s Top 5 SAFs in the 2027 NFL Draft
- KJ Bolden, Georgia
- Tae Johnson, Notre Dame
- Jelani McDonald, Texas
- Koi Perich, Oregon
- Ty Benefield, LSU
Each list has the same top three safeties in this 2027 NFL Draft class, though there’s some differences between the top two. Admittedly, KJ Bolden and Tae Johnson feel like they’re at a similar caliber of prospects. Bolden is perhaps more explosive, while Johnson has superior size, but both should be long-term quality starters in the league.
From there, Jelani McDonald is a sound processor on the back end with ideal physicality as a downhill tackler. Koi Perich was arguably better in 2024 than he was in 2025, but he shows good instincts and ball-tracking skills on tape. Xavier Scott has good safety-slot versatility and should play all over the field in the NFL, Bray Hubbard is an intelligent thumper of a safety, and Ty Benefield has sharp instincts with impressive speed for a 6’3″ defensive back.
