Jeremiah Smith is the best prospect eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft, but a need at quarterback may reign supreme for some teams. If Los Angeles moves forward with Justin Herbert, they can simply take the best player available. The real question is, who will be Smith's head coach?

Leonard Moore is the most clean prospect beyond Jeremiah Smith. There are no questions about his size, athletic traits or production. Edge rushers Colin Simmons and Dylan Stewart were in consideration for this pick as well.

To this point in the college football season, Drew Mestemaker has performed like the best quarterback prospect. Malik Willis' contract is not prohibitive of the Dolphins pressing the reset button with a new quarterback. The Dolphins need to upgrade arguably the most talent deficient roster in the NFL.

Given the investment in its pass rushers, Washington has greater needs, but can not bypass the best player in this position. There would be a conversation for Indiana wide receiver Charlie Becker and South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart as well.

Similar to Washington, Houston has greater needs than a pass rusher. In this situation, they would likely entertain offers to trade down, which would allow them to further address the offensive line. As it stands, they construct an elite pass rush trio and bring in the heir apparent to Danielle Hunter. There was consideration for Indiana wide receiver Charlie Becker, but the franchise has invested so much into that position that it was a non-starter unless they move Nico Collins at the trade deadline.

Philadelphia would want to address the trenches in this situation, but the juice is not worth the squeeze. Charlie Becker is the best available prospect and gives them a formidable pairing with Devonta Smith. Makai Lemon has not given them much yet.

New York attains its quarterback of the future in the form of Notre Dame's C.J. Carr. They have added talent to this roster, but the coaching staff has underperformed. The right head coaching hire could put the Jets in a position to take a big leap next year.

Coming into the season, I was relatively low on Darian Mensah. He has good size and is operating efficiently within the pocket: stepping up from pressure, throwing with touch and targeting all three levels of the field. It appears that Mensah will be playing in high-leverage games later this season, so those moments will be valuable in his scouting process.

Traits reign supreme in the NFL Draft. Although Trey'Dez Green has missed almost all of the season due to a lower-body injury, he is 6-foot-7-inches and has the athleticism to make the most of that size advantage. Baker Mayfield had been accustomed to having a big body in the pass game like Mike Evans, so Green allows him that advantage once again.

After finishing last season with zero interceptions, the Jets have one pick in 2026. There is no rest for the weary, however. With the long and physical Ashton Hampton, New York may even get two interceptions.

Georgia's Chris Cole is one of the best pound-for-pound athletes in this draft class. New Orleans could go in a different direction, but traits reign supreme in the NFL Draft.

New York first selected its quarterback of the future, then found replacements for Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. A first-round haul of Miami quarterback C.J. Carr, Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton, and Ole Miss defensive tackle Will Echoles would certainly make next season interesting.

Las Vegas adds Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman to its collection of young offensive talent. Imagine the Raiders being able to utilize Brock Bowers outside in the formation when they want to, rather than because he is all they have.

Yhonzae Pierre would give Cleveland the type of pass rusher who is different from the group currently assembled. He is a great athlete at a premium position.

Jake Matthews is nearly 35 years old, and Jawaan Taylor is not the solution at right tackle. Atlanta does not want to find itself in a position where it has to add two offensive tackles in the same offseason.

Left tackle-right tackle, it does not really matter at this point. Baltimore has to be more aggressive in its efforts to fix the offensive line. Cam Jurgens will almost certainly be a part of that picture, given that the team sent a second-round choice to Philadelphia as part of the deal.

The Seahawks have been cycling through other teams' cast-offs to fill the depth chart at cornerback this season. The hope is that Ellis Robinson IV gives them a viable starter in a secondary that already has Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori.

It feels as though Rhamondre Stevenson is perpetually in the doghouse and TreVeyon Henderson is viewed more as an auxiliary piece than a focal point of the offense. Jadan Baugh is a bigger back with a physical play style that would be endearing to Mike Vrabel.

Carolina could move on from Robert Hunt in the offseason and save $14 million toward the salary cap. The Panthers' offensive line has the third-highest pressure rate allowed this season, according to TruMedia. They have options at offensive tackle, so the interior should be the focus. Greg Johnson would bring stability to the unit.

One of the biggest risers in the cycle to this point is Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam. He has the quickness to hop gaps and create quick pressures, but he also has a diverse pass rush arsenal to win late in the down as well.

New York's search for interior defensive line assistance comes to a head with the selection of David Stone. The Giants will have one of the best collections of front-seven talent with his addition.

Kingston Lopa is a tall safety who plays with great range and has managed unimpeachable ball production in a short time as a starter for a rudderless California team. Lopa has to do a better job tackling, but everything Liam Coen and his coaching staff have touched has turned to gold.

Orlando Brown Jr. has been on the decline. Cincinnati could conceivably part with him after this season or allow Lance Heard to sit out his rookie season and take over full-time in 2028. Amarius Mims is developing nicely as the franchise right tackle.

Pittsburgh traded away Joey Porter Jr. and are now tasked with re-stocking the position. Kelley Jones has a different profile than the cornerbacks targeted by the Steelers in the past, but Mike McCarthy was outside of tendency as well.

Cornerback is a bigger need, but it may be easier to attack that position on Day 2. Detroit used a second-round pick on edge rusher Derrick Moore in 2026, but the team should not stop there, given its issues in recent years.

Dante Moore faces a fascinating decision. He has one more season of eligibility, but the idea of returning to an Oregon team that has fallen well short of expectations is not as obvious as it was when he made a similar decision in January. However, the idea of transferring, falling into another subpar situation and tanking his stock even more is also less than ideal. He may be better off taking his chances in the NFL.

Denver took two tight ends on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, but neither has the skill set Sean Payton is looking for in that role. Jamari Johnson has good movement and can be a weapon in both the run and pass games.

Chicago is primarily leaning on veterans along the defensive interior after its draft investments in Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens did not pan out, but it still needs an infusion of youth.

A change in defensive coordinator was not the cure-all for Buffalo's defensive woes. Tae Johnson is an instinctual safety who should bring some accountability back to the Bills' secondary.

I toyed with the idea of giving San Francisco an offensive tackle, but Trent Williams' contract seems to take that off the table, and it has never worked out for me the countless times I have gone down that path in the past, anyway. The 49ers' wide receiver room is old and/or oft-injured. It is difficult to make future plans based on the availability of Ricky Pearsall when that has not been the case early in his professional career. Ryan Coleman-Williams is a first-round talent who has dealt with drops. If San Francisco can coach that out of him, it is getting one of the better players in this class.

Kansas City has tried to fix the receiver room, but bargain-bin shopping and Scotch tape have not worked out for them. It is time to give Patrick Mahomes a playmaker in the pass game. Could they have benefited from Denzel Boston this season?

Minnesota is the last undefeated team standing. Its record is more despite the quarterback play than in combination with it. The defense has carried the Vikings, so Kevin O'Connell returns to the well for Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who has been a gamer for the Rebels.