2027 NFL Mock Draft: ESPN projects 15 SEC standouts to go in Round 1

The 2026 college football regular season is already underway, with Week 1 kicking off on Thursday night. That means NFL scouts will be watching closely to see which players are best positioned to help their teams in 2027 and beyond.

The 2027 NFL Draft won’t take place until April, but it’s never too early for predictions! ESPN’s Jordan Reid released his latest first-round mock draft recently, and he expects 15 SEC standouts to go in Round 1.

Texas leads the way with 4 players going in the first 11 picks. See where all 15 SEC standouts are slated to go below:

• No. 2 — Arch Manning, QB, Texas — Arizona Cardinals
• No. 5 — Cam Coleman, WR, Texas — Las Vegas Raiders
• No. 6 — Dylan Stewart, Edge, South Carolina — Tennessee Titans
• No. 8 — Colin Simmons, Edge, Texas — New Orleans Saints
• No. 9 — Will Echoles, DT, Ole Miss — New York Giants
• No. 11 — Trevor Goosby, OL, Texas — Atlanta Falcons
• No. 12 — Ellis Robinson IV, CB, Georgia — New York Jets
• No. 13 — Trey’Dez Green, TE, LSU — Minnesota Vikings
• No. 15 — David Stone, DT, Oklahoma — New York Jets
• No. 16 — Jordan Seaton, OL, LSU — Chicago Bears
• No. 20 — Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss — Houston Texans
• No. 21 — Yhonzae Pierre, Edge, Alabama — New England Patriots
• No. 22 — Kelley Jones, CB, Mississippi State — Philadelphia Eagles
• No. 23 — KJ Bolden, S, Georgia — Cincinnati Bengals
• No. 24 — Chris Cole, LB, Georgia — Dallas Cowboys

Obviously it’s still early in the 2026 season. Heck, these guys haven’t played any games this fall thus far. But this gives us a good idea as to which players are currently catching the eyes of NFL scouts.

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Who will jump into the Round 1 mix as the season goes on? Don’t count out Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, Mizzou RB Ahmad Hardy, South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers and several other stars from around the league.

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Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.