No wide receiver has been the first overall pick in the NFL draft since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. Jeremiah Smith may do it in 2027.
Smith, the Ohio State wide receiver, is now the betting favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft, with +300 odds. On Saturday, Smith put up another good performance, catching four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Maryland.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who had been the betting favorite to go first overall, had a rough game in Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma. Manning is now second in the betting odds to go first overall in 2027, at +350.
Next in the odds is Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr at +380. Carr completed 14 of 20 passes for 181 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions, plus 41 rushing yards, in Saturday’s 58-7 win over Stanford.
Following Carr in the betting odds are Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at +600, Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker at +650, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah at +750 and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore at +1200.
Texas is No. 1 no more, after a two-interception fourth quarter from quarterback Arch Manning handed Oklahoma a come-from-behind victory in the Red River Rivalry.
The Longhorns led 17-7 at halftime, but the second half was a disaster for Manning and Texas, and Oklahoma won 27-24 with a field goal as time expired. Texas entered the game 4-0 and the top-ranked team in the country; Oklahoma entered 2-2 and unranked.
Texas punted on all three of its third-quarter possessions, and in the fourth quarter, Manning threw two interceptions. The first was a pick-six that gave Oklahoma its first lead of the game, and the second set up Oklahoma’s game-winning field goal.
Manning’s numbers -- 19 of 31 for 260 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions, plus 20 rushing yards -- don’t look terrible. But his fourth quarter performance is what will be remembered from this game.
Manning is the betting favorite to be the first overall pick in the NFL draft, just like his uncles Peyton and Eli were. He didn’t look like a first overall pick today.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, one of the top prospects in the 2027 draft, suffered a significant concussion on Saturday night, when he was knocked unconscious after sliding by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II.
On Sunday, Oregon issued a statement regarding Moore’s condition.
“Dante sustained a concussion in last night’s game but fortunately his MRI and CT scans came back clean and he did not suffer any additional injuries,” the school said. “Every concussion is different and we are going to move forward with an abundance of caution to ensure we make the best decisions for Dante and his future. We are extremely appreciative of our entire medical staff and the medical staffs at USC and L.A. General County Hospital for their quick and thorough action in making sure Dante received the very best care possible.”
Dylan Raiola replaced Moore, leading Oregon to a 41-27 win. Raiola will run the offense until Moore is cleared.
Saturday night’s game between Oregon and USC included a hit from Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II that knocked out Ducks quarterback Dante Moore and sent him to the hospital. Beyond the play itself, the situation was riddled with horrible optics.
Stephens celebrated after the play. He was seen smiling on the sideline before his disqualification.
Then, in the second half, Stephens returned to the USC sideline.
Asked after the game why Stephens was back on the sideline, USC coach Lincoln Riley seemed to be confused by the question. “Because he’s on our football team,” Riley said.
Strangely, NCAA rules allow a “disqualified” player to remain on the sidelines. (An “ejected” player must leave.) It was nevertheless tone deaf for USC to allow him to return.
Stephens deserves a stiff suspension both for the hit and for his antics after it. And there’s no way USC will do that on its own. The NCAA needs to step in and send a clear message about its commitment to player health and safety. If it doesn’t, someone should suggest an amendment to the “Protect College Sports Act” that mandates the NCAA to take a harder line when something like this happens.
While the name of the bill is simply a slogan aimed at getting the NCAA the antitrust exemption it craves, the NCAA coined the term in order to make the bill seem more palatable. So they’re now stuck with it. And, given the chosen title of the bill, how can the NCAA and the federal government “protect college sports” if they don’t also protect college athletes?
Oregon coach Dan Lanning was furious after Saturday’s win over USC at the illegal play that knocked Ducks quarterback Dante Moore out of the game and sent him to the hospital.
Moore, a potential first overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft, was sliding after running for a first down when he was blasted in the head by USC linebacker Desman Stephens. Lanning did not appreciate it.
“Our guys respect the game. I don’t think you’d ever see that from our players. I don’t think you’d ever see that from our coaches,” Lanning said. “It’s a disgusting play. You don’t want to see it happen. It’s disappointing that it happened. I’m praying that our player’s healthy, and I’m praying that their player can learn from that situation.”
Lanning credited his team for the way it responded to losing its star quarterback.
“In that moment, everybody wants to go get into a street fight, and I thought our players had unbelievable composure in that moment,” Lanning said. “And then they went and played it on the field, which is where the game is meant to be played.”
Lanning indicated that Moore’s prognosis looks good, but said he wasn’t ready to release an update on Moore’s condition.
“Indications are that he’s in recovery, so I don’t want to speak too soon, but he’s moving,” Lanning said. “He has the ability to move, so we’ll continue to assess him, but I don’t want to make any speculation on further thoughts on that before we have further information on him.”
After Moore was taken to a nearby hospital, he was replaced by Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, who had a tremendous game. Raiola completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards, with two touchdowns and no turnovers or sacks, as Oregon won 41-27.
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is considered by many the most talented prospect in the 2027 NFL draft, and he’s showing why today against Illinois.
Less than 12 minutes into the first quarter, Smith already has four catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Ohio State has a 14-0 lead, as its first possession ended with a seven-yard Smith touchdown and its second possession ended with a 72-yard Smith touchdown.
Although the first overall pick in the draft is usually a quarterback, Smith may have a legitimate chance of going first overall next year, especially if the team with the first pick already has a young quarterback in place. Smith’s odds to go first overall are currently at +900, ranking fifth in the betting odds behind Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr and Miami quarterback Darian Mensah.
Ohio State has done an astonishing job of recruiting wide receiver talent: In the last five NFL drafts, Ohio State has had six first-round wide receivers, with Carnell Tate, Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave all going in the first round. Smith might be the most talented of all of them. He’s something special.
A year ago, Texas entered the college football season ranked No. 1 and quarterback Arch Manning was viewed as a strong candidate to win the Heisman Trophy and be the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. A loss to Ohio State derailed that. So when Manning and his Longhorns fell behind Ohio State 23-3 on Saturday night, it felt like déjà vu.
This time, however, things were different: Manning and the Texas offense marched down the field on three fourth-quarter touchdown drives to beat Ohio State 24-23.
“I couldn’t lose to them again. I had nightmares about that game last year. So, we’re glad to win tonight,” Manning said on the field immediately after the game.
By the postgame press conference, Manning had settled down a bit, but he told reporters it was the same emotion about desperately wanting to beat the Ohio State team that had given him nightmares.
“I did not want to come in here after a loss at home, to Ohio State again, and have y’all tell me we’re not good, all that stuff. I could not let that happen,” Manning said. “So that was going through my mind, let’s not let that happen. Had to get something going. I always knew we were going to be in it at the end, we just had to get something going, and whatever it takes at the end of the game. I’m so glad we won.”
Manning made some excellent throws but also missed some open receivers. He finished completing 23 of 37 passes for 195 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
“It wasn’t very pretty, but we found a way to win. That’s what good teams do,” Manning said.
Manning is now the favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft. He still has a lot of football to play before then, but he’s now earned his biggest win as a college quarterback, and put his biggest nightmare behind him.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is a potential first overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft, but today he had a rough outing.
Moore and Oregon lost 39-31 to 24-point underdog Oklahoma State today, with Moore completing less than 50 percent of his passes: Moore finished 14-of-29 for 191 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
How big a surprise is that? Oregon entered today ranked No. 6 in the country. Oklahoma State entered today on a 12-game losing streak, the longest in the country. Never before in college football history had a team on a losing streak of more than 10 games beaten a Top 10 opponent. Last year Oregon beat Oklahoma State 69-3.
Moore had moments when he showed off his elite arm talent, including touchdown passes of 38 and 36 yards. But he also struggled with his accuracy and had a hard time dealing with Oklahoma State’s pass rush.
One bad game doesn’t mean Moore won’t be a top pick, but for a much-hyped prospect, today was a major disappointment.
The first round of the NFL draft drew a big TV audience, but not as big as last year.
The NFL announced that 13.2 million viewers watched the draft on all platforms. That’s a significant audience for most sporting events, but for the NFL draft it’s a step backward.
Last year’s draft generated a total of 13.6 million viewers.
The record for the most-watched first round was set in 2020 when 15.5 million viewers tuned in to a draft that was America’s first big sports-related event since the start of the pandemic.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning is the betting favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Manning’s betting odds are currently at +225 to go first overall.
Although Manning’s production in his first season as Texas’s starter last year wasn’t great, he’s the betting favorite because he has the physical tools that NFL teams look for in a franchise quarterback. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s from football’s most famous family: Manning’s uncles, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, were the first overall picks in 1998 and 2004. His grandfather, Archie Manning, was the second overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft.
The player with the next-best odds to go first overall is Oregon quarterback Dante Moore at +380, followed by Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr at +750, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers at +1200 and Miami quarterback Darian Mensah at +1400.
The non-quarterback with the best odds to go first overall is Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith at +1600. He is followed by Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin at +1800, Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker at +2000, South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart at +2200 and Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons at +2500.
