Texas leads 12 schools loaded with 2027 NFL draft talent
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- Texas tops the 12-school list with a projected 4 first-rounders and 13 total 2027 draft picks, anchored by QB Arch Manning, who closed 2025 with 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
- Oregon is projected at 3 first-rounders and 11 total picks, with QB Dante Moore entering 2026 as a prime No. 1 overall pick contender after several key players eschewed the 2026 draft to stay in school.
- Notre Dame is predicted to land 3 first-rounders — which would mark the program's first time reaching that mark since 1994 — led by CB Leonard Moore, the top-ranked corner on the author's early board.
- Miami is projected at 3 first-rounders and 10 total picks despite losing edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, with DT Ahmad Moten Sr. ranked as the top defensive tackle in the 2027 class.
- Ohio State headlines Tier 2, led by WR Jeremiah Smith, with its marquee non-conference game at Texas on Sept. 12.
- The 2027 NFL Draft is scheduled for next April in Washington, D.C., giving scouts a full season to reassess projections that already span more than 60 draftable names across the 12 highlighted rosters.
Why it matters: The ranking gives NFL scouts and draft fans an early-season watch list, while the highlighted schools gain recruiting leverage tied to demonstrable draft pipelines. Notre Dame's projection of three first-rounders would be its best draft haul since 1994, and Oregon's depth — built partly on players spurning 2026 — could shift the top of the 2027 board if Moore proves himself against elite competition.
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