As some of the marquee 2027 NFL Draft prospects have faltered in the first month of the season, other players have capitalized on the opportunity to raise their profile.
The group of prospects expected to join the pros next April features a good amount of established stars, from quarterbacks Arch Manning and Dante Moore to wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, among others. But while Smith has continued to set college football ablaze in what is almost assuredly his final campaign, the early results have been decidedly more mixed for several of his peers.
Nevertheless, September often marks the start of a steady ascent in the draft for several players. This year is no different, with a group of standouts already on the upswing.
Here's a closer look at 11
players whose early play has earned them the label of draft risers in the opening stretch of the fall:
QB Trinidad Chambliss, Mississippi
An undersized passer who will be 25 before his rookie season and started off in Division II would typically seem like an odd figure to factor heavily into one of the most highly anticipated quarterback classes in years. Indeed, Chambliss still amounted to something of a side attraction entering this year. In continuing his full-on star turn, though, the 6-0, 208-pound passer could force teams to have some uncomfortable reconsiderations of when the circumstances are right to break from protocol and pursue an outlier. Despite playing a brutal early slate, Chambliss has racked up 12 touchdowns and carried Mississippi, proving he can excel even without Lane Kiffin's touch. Not all of his playmaking skills will translate to the NFL, but in a league where offenses place a premium on big gains, coaching staffs should covet Chambliss' calculated aggressiveness both from within and out of structure. His resiliency and decisiveness are also major strong suits. Now firmly out of range for being considered merely a developmental option or an entertaining backup, Chambliss is sure to test the creativity and adaptability of front offices as the pre-draft process continues.
QB Darian Mensah, Miami (Fla.)
Stats can hardly tell a complete story for any college quarterback, especially in a small sample size that hasn't entailed facing top competition. Still, it's impossible not to take notice of Mensah's masterful start in Miami, during which he's thrown more touchdowns (14) than incompletions (12). Exhibiting command and poise is essential for the Tulane and Duke transfer, who only has pedestrian physical tools when compared to some of the other more gifted throwers in this class. Mensah will also have to show more comfort working down the field and to the sidelines after primarily attacking short - and an understandable way to weaponize Malachi Toney - and over the middle. But if he continues to make great strides with his processing and decision-making against much firmer competition, he'll spark some compelling conversations about his placement in the quarterback pecking order.
RB Jadan Baugh, Florida
With Baugh, Mississippi's Kewan Lacy and Missouri's Ahmad Hardy all putting forth compelling cases entering the season, the battle to be the first running back selected in 2027 figured to make for a fierce competition. Baugh, however, has seemingly cut that debate short. Through four games, he's been borderline unstoppable, rushing for a Football Bowl Subdivision-high 600 yards and 11 touchdowns. The 6-1, 225-pound ball carrier already had all the trappings of a workhorse back. This fall, though, he's ripped off a run of 50 yards or more in three games, answering the most pressing preseason question on whether he had the instant acceleration to regularly generate explosive plays. It might be difficult for Baugh to be taken as early as either Jeremiyah Love or Ashton Jeanty, especially given the bumper crop of talent at premium positions expected to be available in April. Still, the first round should be a lock if he keeps up this torrid pace.
WR Deuce Alexander, Mississippi
Chambliss might be the catalyst for Mississippi's attack, but electric pass catchers are required to make the most of the quarterback's daring tendencies. Having risen from an integral part of a robust receiver room to the focal point of the passing attack, Alexander is more than doing his part to make good on Chambliss' deep-ball prowess. The former Wake Forest transfer has racked up 429 yards - the second most in the Southeastern Conference - and four touchdowns in four games. His background as a high school track standout in Georgia is readily evident on every snap, as he's particularly adept at getting corners to bite at the faintest sign of a fake or hesitation before racing past them downfield. The 6-0, 180-pound target might need to fill out his frame a bit more and demonstrate he can consistently conquer press coverage, but his game-breaking potential should have him rocketing up draft boards.
WR Reed Harris, Arizona State
With Jordyn Tyson off to the Saints, the Sun Devils reloaded at receiver by inking two major transfers in Harris and Omarion Miller. The latter figured to be the more consequential move for next year's draft, but the former is making a far bigger splash early in the season. Harris has accounted for 374 receiving yards - nearly half of his team's total output - along with five touchdown catches. His deep-threat credentials had already been established at Boston College, but the 6-5, 220-pound pass catcher is reinforcing his field-stretching skills by averaging 17.4 yards per reception. In a receiver class that lacks much clarity beyond the top trio of Smith, Coleman and Becker, Harris has mounted a push for a spot in the top 50 - and possibly consideration even earlier.
TE Luke Reynolds, Virginia Tech
Does college football have a sufficient supply of talented tight ends to satisfy the NFL's uptick in demand at the position? Beyond Oregon's Jamari Johnson and LSU's Trey'Dez Green, this year's group doesn't seem to measure up to the one teams flocked to in April. The emergence of Reynolds, however, has helped quell some concerns about depth in the upcoming draft. As one of a horde of former Penn State players who followed James Franklin to Virginia Tech, the former five-star recruit has found his footing in a new setting, needing just four games to set career highs with 30 catches, 280 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-4, 250-pound target can't measure up to Johnson or Green as an athletic marvel, but he's nimble enough to free himself from coverage and pick up additional yards after the catch. And with his comfort working as an inline blocker, Reynolds should be an attractive option for a team looking to round out and diversify its offense.
OT Samson Okunlola, Miami (Fla.)
With bookend offensive tackles Francis Mauigoa and Markel Bell both departing as early NFL draft picks, Miami could have been forgiven if it struggled with pass protection in the early going this season. Okunlola ensured that didn't happen. The 6-6, 330-pound blocker stepped in at left tackle and has been superlative from the start, helping keep Mensah as part of a front that has allowed just three total sacks on 136 total dropbacks thus far. Some more refinement would serve the first-year starter well, but a former five-star recruit who was nicknamed "The Pancake Honcho" shouldn't require a hard sell for teams if he keeps playing like this.
G Greg Johnson, Minnesota
Put Johnson anywhere along the front and he's bound to excel. The third-year starter has played at every spot except right guard during his time at Minnesota and made another switch last week, moving back to center from left guard. The result: The 6-6, 325-pound blocker was named the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week. Though his best work has come as a forceful presence in the ground game, Johnson has also helped put statuesque pocket passer Drake Lindsey at ease. Considered by some as a fringe first-round prospect entering the year - he checked in at No. 28 to the Bills in my preseason mock draft - Johnson now might be firmly in Day 1 territory.
DE Devan Thompkins, Alabama
It should come as little surprise that a former basketball standout who played just one year of high school football might need some time before fully coming into his own against top college competition. Thompkins showed promise in stretches in 2024-25 after playing in just three games during his first two years at USC, but he's taken his game to a distinct new level after transferring to Alabama. Through four games, he's already matched his previous career high with three sacks on the season. Thompkins is far more nimble and explosive than one might expect of a 6-5, 300-pound defensive linemen. He might not be a fit for every team given his body type and skill set, but he could be a considerably disruptive force as a 3-4 defensive end or defensive tackle in a defense that allows him to get upfield.
LB Chris Cole, Georgia
With offenses across the NFL shifting back to more under-center looks, it might not be long before teams scramble to add hyperathletic linebackers as a necessary countermeasure for the schematic swing. Cole might be exactly what those defenses are in search of. The 6-3, 235-pounder already demonstrated his ample pursuit speed and bend last season, when he led the Bulldogs with 4 1/2 sacks as a backup. Now, however, he's getting to showcase the full extent of his abilities, as his size and fluidity allow him to stick with running backs and tight ends in coverage or chase down ball carriers to either sideline. He also served up a reminder of just how uniquely explosive he is for his position when he scooped up Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer's fumble and raced 85 yards to the end zone with it, pulling away from his opponents like a wide receiver breaking free from an overmatched corner.
CHRIS COLE HOUSE CALL 🏠
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 26, 2026
📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/wNOacZCjqI
S Kingston Lopa, Cal
In snagging five interceptions in his first three games, Lopa, the 6-5, 210-pound safety, has stepped to the forefront as one of college football's most scintillating young defensive playmakers. The Oregon transfer is still in need of some seasoning after playing sparingly in his first two years with the Ducks. His tackling, in particular, isn't yet up to par, as he can struggle when forced to come to balance and finish off plays even when he's in position to do so. But defensive backs with his size, movement ability and ball skills are rare, and teams are sure to be drawn to what he can offer as a versatile piece in coverage.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2027 NFL Draft stock watch features 11 players on the rise
