Now that the 2026 NFL Draft is officially in the rearview mirror (as of about 24 hours ago), it's already time to look toward next year and which current college stars will likely hear their names called during the 2027 NFL Draft.
For the most part, there is an almost unanimous agreement that Texas quarterback Arch Manning will be the No. 1 overall pick.
However, one NFL Big Board, ranking the best available players, doesn't have him atop the rest of the field.
Pro Football Focus released its way-too-early Big Board and listed Manning sixth, not only pushing him outside of the top-five but also making him only the third-highest quarterback, trailing none other than Ohio State's Julian Sayin as well as Oregon's Dante Moore.
Arch Manning trails Julian Sayin and Dante Moore in PFF Big Board
Sayin was the first quarterback to ever beat Manning, leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to a low-scoring win over the Texas Longhorns in the first game of last season.
Now, PFF seems to think he can beat the Horns' QB once again, but this time it would be off the field and on the NFL Draft board.
The Big Board has Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith as the No. 1 overall player, followed close behind by his quarterback, Sayin. With Moore coming in at third overall, it's actually Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons who is the highest-ranked Longhorn.
WAY TOO EARLY 2027 BIG BOARD 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/bL6thnTEkK
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 26, 2026
Both Sayin and Manning were first-year starters last season, finally stepping out of the shadow of their teams' former quarterbacks, and when you compare their passing stats, they look relatively similar on paper.
While the Horns played in one fewer game than Ohio State did last season, Manning earned 3,163 passing yards for 26 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Sayin earned 3,610 passing yards for 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
The biggest discrepancy in the two athletes' profiles is their running abilities. Manning rushed for 399 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Sayin? He lost 44 yards on the ground and never rushed for a touchdown.
To put it lightly, PFF having him so far ahead of Manning on the big board is disrespectful at best, and completely ignores the dual-threat capabilities that the Texas quarterback has, while the Buckeyes' QB is more of a liability on the ground.
Of course, at least on the field, Manning has a more immediate opportunity to prove his value is higher than Sayin's when Texas hosts Ohio State in Austin to kick off the 2026 season.
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