USC quarterback Jayden Maiava is getting real attention as he heads into his third season with the Trojans, and ESPN’s latest quarterback draft-stock breakdown puts him squarely in the middle of the conversation.
Jordan Reid of ESPN placed Maiava in the third-round tier for the 2027 NFL Draft, alongside Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer and LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt. Reid’s read on Maiava was direct: “Maiava is a pocket passer who played well last season,” Reid said.
“He thrives when pushing the ball down the field, leading the FBS with 37 completion on passes of 20 or more air yards. Maiava has a tendency to compound mistakes, which he’ll have to fix if he wants to move up the board.”
ESPN’s list has eight quarterbacks ranked above him, split between a first-round group and a second-round group. The first-round tier includes CJ Carr of Notre Dame, Arch Manning of Texas, Drew Mestemaker of Oklahoma State, and Dante Moore of Oregon. The next tier features Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss, Darian Mensah of Miami, Julian Sayin of Ohio State, and LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina.
Maiava’s own production gives him a strong case to keep climbing. In 2025, he started all 13 games for USC and helped the Trojans finish 9-3 in the regular season before an overtime loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl. He threw for 3,711 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and earned Third-team All-Big Ten honors.
Not everyone is quite as conservative on his draft outlook. NFL Mock Draft Database has Maiava pegged as a second-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
His path to this point has been a steady climb. Maiava began his college career at UNLV in 2022, redshirted that season, then saw action in 2023. As a redshirt freshman in 14 games for the Rebels, he passed for 3,085 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions before entering the portal and transferring to USC.
His first season with the Trojans in 2024 didn’t start with him under center. He didn’t win the starting job until mid-November, and in limited action that year he threw for 1,201 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. He entered 2025 as the starter and hasn’t looked back.
Maiava could have declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, but chose to return to USC for another year. That decision keeps him in Lincoln Riley’s quarterback pipeline, and Riley’s track record is hard to ignore. Since 2017, three of his quarterbacks have won the Heisman Trophy: Baker Mayfield in 2017, Kyler Murray in 2018, and Caleb Williams in 2022.
Now the question is whether Maiava can become the fourth. DraftKings Sportsbook lists him tied for the 11th-best 2026 Heisman Trophy odds with Oklahoma’s John Matter at +2500. The current favorite is Notre Dame’s CJ Carr at +700.
Maiava will have to do it with a revamped USC wide receiver group, but another year in Riley’s offense makes him a legitimate dark horse in the Heisman race.
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