7 Top 2027 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in College Football Week 11, including Pair of QBs

The 2027 NFL Draft is still months away, but the 2026 college football season is past the halfway point and there are some clear top prospects emerging. There is, however, some uncertainty at the quarterback position, and that makes Saturday’s slate a great opportunity for fans to watch and evaluate some of the talent on the field in must-see matchups.

Let’s dive into our list of the top 2027 NFL Draft prospects to watch in Week 11. We’ve also included where each of the players lands in NFL Draft prospect rankings by ESPN‘s Jordan Reid and The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler entering the weekend.

Related: Week 11 College Football Predictions

Darian Mensah, QB, Miami Hurricanes vs Duke Blue Devils

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah has been one of the best passers in the nation this season. Entering College Football Week 11, he is eighth in passing yards (2,694), leads starters in completion rate (76.8%), is tied for fourth in yards per attempt (9.8) and boasts the highest ESPN QBR (89.0). It’s worth acknowledging, however, that plenty of Mensah’s success is due to his phenomenal receiver duo (Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate) and the system offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson is running.

• Darian Mensah prospect ranking: Jordan Reid (16th overall, No. 3 QB) and Dane Brugler (27th overall, No. 6 QB)

Here is why we find Saturday’s matchup interesting. For one thing, Toney (ankle surgery) is sidelined and it’s always good to see how a quarterback performs when he doesn’t have his All-American receiver. Plus, Mensah is going up against one of the best pass defenses in the nation, with Duke allowing just 186.6 passing yards per game, 6.5 yards per attempt and a 60.8% completion rate with seven passing touchdowns allowed in nine games under defensive-minded head coach Manny Diaz. The icing on the cake? Mensah is coming off his first loss of the season and he’s facing his former team, albeit in Miami. This is a great test for him mentally and as a processor and decision-maker.

Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Texas Tech Red Raiders

If you haven’t heard the Drew Mestemaker story before, you might on Saturday night when the Oklahoma State Cowboys host the Texas Tech Red Raiders with a 9:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN. Mestemaker, 20 years old, went from being a zero-star recruit who didn’t even start for his own high school football team in 2023 to becoming the NCAA passing yards leader at North Texas in 2025. He followed head coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State and is now the consensus top quarterback prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft class.

• Drew Mestemaker prospect ranking: Jordan Reid (5th, No. 1 QB) and Dane Brugler (2nd, No. 1 QB)

Standing at 6-foot-3, Mestemaker is a dangerous dual threat (2,962 passing yards, 177 rushing yards and 33 total touchdowns). He’s going to showcase his tantalizing arm strength on Saturday night, with the confidence and touch to make pinpoint throws to all areas of the field. He’s also tough to bring down in the pocket and if he gets hot, Mestemaker will put up 40-plus points on Texas Tech.

Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida Gators vs Kentucky Wildcats

Jadan Baugh is the best running back in the 2027 NFL Draft class, and there isn’t a close second. Standing at 6-foot and tipping the scales at nearly 230 pounds, Baugh certainly boasts the size NFL teams are looking for in a workhorse back. He’s more than capable of a 40-plus-yard run with his burst and long speed, but equally impressive is how his patience and vision can allow him to consistently earn 4-5 yards when he gets the football. We’re keyed in on this matchup because the Florida Gators are facing a Kentucky Wildcats defense that just allowed 240 rushing yards (6.5 yards per carry) to Tennessee last week, but even still has held opponents to 3.9 yards per carry this season.

• Jadan Baugh prospect ranking: Jordan Reid (28th, RB1) and Dane Brugler (13th, RB1)

Nick Marsh, WR, Indiana Hoosiers vs USC Trojans

It says a lot about this Indiana Hoosiers receiving corps that Nick Marsh is a projected first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, and he’s still the clear-cut No. 2 receiver on his own team. Charlie Becker, a consensus top-10 prospect, will likely draw the majority of the defensive attention from the USC Trojans on Saturday. That means great opportunities for Marsh to exploit a secondary that has allowed a whopping 7.9 yards per pass attempt in nine contests. Marsh, 6-foot-3, is coming off three relatively quiet performances (141 receiving yards combined), but we suspect he’ll find the end zone at least once on Saturday and deliver his first 100-yard performance in a month.

• Nick Marsh prospect ranking: Jordan Reid (19th, WR4) and Dane Brugler (17th, WR3)

Chris Cole, LB, Georgia Bulldogs vs Missouri Tigers

Fans should know now that the top 2027 NFL Draft prospects are largely on the defensive side of the football. Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Chris Cole, who’s on his way to earning All-American honors in 2026, could potentially be one of the first five or six players off the board on April 29. Why? Well, how about the fact that the 6-foot-3 linebacker showcases an athleticism that would make you think he weighs 30 pounds less than he shows up at on the scale (235 pounds). Cole’s stood out even more as of late, a stretch that includes three ranked SEC opponents, with 25 solo tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his last four games. Facing a Missouri Tigers offense that relies heavily on its run game (158.2 rushing yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry) all the while having quarterback Austin Simmons (2,204 passing yards and 18-2 TD-INT) capable of making his own case to be a Round 1 selection if he enters, Cole will be instrumental to Georgia’s defense delivering a win on Saturday.

• Chris Cole prospect rankign: Jordan Reid (6th overall and LB1) and Dane Brugler (9th, LB1)

Colin Simmons, EDGE, Texas Longhorns vs LSU Tigers

Texas Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons finally returns to the field in Week 11. A second-team All-American in 2025, the 6-foot-3 pass rusher racked up 16 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in his first six games this season. A high-ankle sprain then kept him sidelined, but he’s cleared to play against the LSU Tigers. That means we get to witness some one-on-one matchups between Simmons and left tackle Jordan Seaton, another top-10 prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft. Considering the tendency of LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt to hold onto the football, fans should get plenty of looks at Simmons rushing the passer, and he could get a sack or two.

• Colin Simmons prospect ranking: Jordan Reid (4th, EDGE2) and Dane Brugler (3rd, EDGE1)

Xavier Gilliam, DL, Tennessee Volunteers vs Texas A&M Aggies

Tennessee Volunteers defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam has been one of the breakout stars of the 2026 college football season. He followed defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Penn State to Knoxville, and that might’ve just been a life-altering decision. After producing just one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks in his first two seasons at Penn State, Gilliam has 11.5 TFLs and six sacks this season at Tennessee. He’s catapulted himself up 2027 NFL Draft prospect rankings and could now be a top-15 pick in April. Set to face a Texas A&M Aggies offensive line that has allowed plenty of pressure, all the while having a quarterback in Marcel Reed who is prone to taking sacks, this could be a great showcase game for Gilliam.

• Xavier Gilliam prospect ranking: Jordan Reid (14th, DT2) and Dane Brugler (6th, DT1)

Related: Bold Predictions for Tennessee Volunteers vs Texas A&M Aggies