ESPN’s latest look at the 2027 NFL Draft puts the SEC front and center, with Jordan Reid slotting 15 league standouts into the opening round.
The headliner is Texas quarterback Arch Manning at No. 2 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Texas shows up again and again in the first round, with four players landing in the first 11 picks alone. Reid also projects Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman at No. 5 to the Las Vegas Raiders, edge rusher Colin Simmons at No. 8 to the New Orleans Saints, and offensive lineman Trevor Goosby at No. 11 to the Atlanta Falcons.
South Carolina edge Dylan Stewart checks in at No. 6 to the Tennessee Titans, while Ole Miss defensive tackle Will Echoles goes No. 9 to the New York Giants. Georgia corner Ellis Robinson IV is next at No. 12, headed to the New York Jets, and LSU tight end Trey’Dez Green comes off the board at No. 13 to the Minnesota Vikings.
Reid’s mock keeps rolling through the middle of Round 1 with more SEC names. Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone is projected at No. 15 to the New York Jets, LSU offensive lineman Jordan Seaton at No. 16 to the Chicago Bears, and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy at No. 20 to the Houston Texans.
The back half of the first round is loaded too. Alabama edge Yhonzae Pierre lands at No. 21 with the New England Patriots, Mississippi State corner Kelley Jones goes No. 22 to the Philadelphia Eagles, Georgia safety KJ Bolden is mocked at No. 23 to the Cincinnati Bengals, and Georgia linebacker Chris Cole rounds out the SEC group at No. 24 to the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s still very early in the 2026 college football season, and none of these players have taken the field yet this fall. Even so, the list offers an early snapshot of which prospects are already drawing serious attention from NFL scouts.
And the board is far from set. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers and plenty of others could still force their way into the Round 1 conversation as the season unfolds.
In Other News...
LSU Just Got Pulled Into A Roster Fight With Real Stakes
The SEC has now turned a roster dispute into a legal one, filing suit against LSU, its Board of Supervisors, president Wade Rousse, athletic director Verge Ausberry and head coach Lane Kiffin over the programs pursuit of former professional athletes. At the center of it is a simple but consequential question for the Tigers: whether the conference believes LSU crossed the line by recruiting players who had already signed NFL contracts.
The league is seeking an injunction to keep LSU from associating with conduct it says runs counter to the SECs purpose, adding another layer to a situation already unfolding in Baton Rouge. A separate court hearing is still underway there to determine whether the players in question are eligible under NCAA and SEC rules, leaving the Tigers caught between immediate roster needs and a fight that now has real legal stakes. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Just Sent LSU A Clemson Warning Fans Will Feel
Nick Sabans memories of LSU still come with a useful warning attached. Looking back on his early years in Baton Rouge, he said those teams sometimes leaned too hard on the energy inside Tiger Stadium instead of trusting their own execution, a habit that can be easy to miss when the crowd is rolling and the place is loud. After a loss in his first season, he tried to stamp out that thinking by putting up a reminder in the locker room that the result had to come from the players, not from the people in the stands.
That message feels aimed straight at LSUs opener against Clemson, a stage where home atmosphere can only carry a team so far. Saban said he hopes this version of the Tigers does not make the same mistake, and it is the kind of warning that lands differently when it comes from someone who once had to correct it himself. For LSU, the challenge is simple enough to say and harder to live: bring the crowd with you, but do not depend on it. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Lands In A High Stakes Eligibility Fight Before The Opener
With LSUs opener approaching, the school has landed in the middle of a legal fight that could shape how Lane Kiffin and his staff navigate the roster in the final stretch before kickoff. The SEC filed a federal lawsuit against LSU, Kiffin and other administrators over the eligibility status of several potential Tigers who spent time on NFL training camp rosters, turning a personnel issue into a conference-level dispute.
The league is seeking injunctions to keep LSU from violating conference rules by recruiting and rostering professional athletes, arguing the schools actions damage the SEC. At the same time, a separate state court hearing is moving forward on the eligibility of specific players, including DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, leaving LSU with one more off-field issue to manage as the season opens. [Read more 🡒]