by: Ben Embry (April 27, 2025)
I'm just gonna say it: making 2027 NFL Draft rankings right now feels like trying to predict who’s gonna be the breakout character in Euphoria Season 4 when half the cast isn’t even old enough to drive yet. You’re basically scouting college freshman who hasn’t even figured out how to do his own laundry yet. It's like if we ranked 8th graders based on who might be the next Batman. And yet, here we are — watching grainy Hudl clips at 1 a.m., convincing ourselves that some wide receiver from Florida with "elite twitch" is gonna be the next Ja'Marr Chase while conveniently forgetting that 90% of these guys are still figuring out their wingspan. It’s the NFL Draft version of betting your life savings on a 14-year-old AAU point guard because he can already dunk. Good times.
If you told me a decade ago that Ohio State would eventually have a receiver who looks like Julio Jones, moves like A.J. Green, and somehow catches everything thrown within a five-yard radius like peak Larry Fitzgerald, I would’ve assumed Urban Meyer built him in a secret lab underneath the Horseshoe. Enter Jeremiah Smith: a 6'3" cheat code with Inspector Gadget arms and the kind of body control that makes NFL scouts start buying Columbus real estate six months early. Watching him run a route is like watching young LeBron play high school football — it’s borderline unfair. Good luck to every Big Ten defensive coordinator who’s currently stress-eating Doritos just thinking about covering this dude.
At some point, Georgia coaches just started recruiting dudes who feel like they were created in a Marvel lab. KJ Bolden is the latest — a safety who moves like a corner, hits like a linebacker, and somehow covers more ground than the '07 Patriots secondary and your Uber driver combined. Watching him is like watching Ed Reed if Ed Reed had access to 2025 training methods and, like, an Iron Man suit. Every time there's a deep ball, you just see this flash of crimson streak across the screen and suddenly it’s an interception, or at worst, the receiver is wondering if life insurance covers getting absolutely de-cleated by a freshman. It’s almost unfair. You can already picture NFL GMs doing the "we're gonna need to trade up for this guy in 2027" nod.
Speaking of SEC freshman, you know that moment in a sports movie where the plucky underdog team finally finds the ringer who changes everything? That’s Ryan Williams for Alabama, except instead of some gritty "oh he’s scrappy" story, it’s oh no, this guy’s just a glitch in the system. He was only 17 years old last year, but every time he touched the ball, you could practically hear opposing defensive backs mutter "this is bulls---" under their breath. It was like when you’re playing Madden, realize your opponent’s 12-year-old cousin is way better than you, and you just start praying for lag.
Enough with the pop culture references, here's my way too early rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft:
1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio St
2. KJ Bolden, S, Georgia
3. Colin Simmons, DE, Texas
4. Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama
5. David Stone, DL, Oklahoma
6. Dylan Stewart, DE, South Carolina
7. Eddrick Houston, DL, Ohio St
8. T.J. Moore, WR, Clemson
9. Terry Bussey, WR, Texas A&M
10. Dylan Raiola, QB, Nebraska
11. Cam Coleman, WR, Auburn
12. DJ Lagway, QB, Florida
13. Koi Perich, S, Minnesota
14. Justin Scott, DL, Miami (FL)
15. Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
16. Jordan Seaton, OT, Colorado
17. Nate Frazier, RB, Georgia
18. Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida
19. Zabien Brown, CB, Alabama
20. Isaac Brown, RB, Louisville
21. Jaylen Mbakwe, CB, Alabama
22. Dominick McKinley, DL, LSU
23. LJ McCray, DL, Florida
24. Ellis Robinson IV, CB, Georgia
25. Anthonie Knapp, OT, Notre Dame
26. Justin Williams, LB, Georgia
27. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB, Notre Dame
28. Fluff Bothwell, RB, Mississippi St
29. OJ Frederique Jr., CB, Miami (FL)
30. Ashton Hampton, CB, Clemson
31. Jayden Jackson, DL, Oklahoma
32. Caden Durham, RB, LSU
33. Bryant Wesco Jr., WR, Clemson
34. Mike Matthews, WR, Tennessee
35. Williams Nwaneri, DL, Missouri
36. Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio St
37. Francis Brewu, DL, Pittsburgh
38. Micah Hudson, WR, Texas Tech
39. Eli Bowen, CB, Oklahoma
40. Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri