ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid posted early top‑five draft boards, beginning with quarterback. Both crowned Texas star Arch Manning No. 1, then selected Oregon’s Dante Moore. Miller placed Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Miami’s Darian Mensah at four and five, while Reid swapped Drew Mestemaker and Mensah. They singled out Mestemaker as the toughest to rank after his 4,379‑yard, 34‑TD 2025 season, questioning his move to tougher competition.

Miller’s running‑back board crowns Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy, with Ole Miss’s Kewan Lacy second; Reid flips the order, placing Lacy first and adding Georgia’s Nate Frazier at five. Both flag Hardy’s leg‑injury recovery as a key risk. At receiver, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith tops both lists, while Texas’ Cam Coleman and Indiana’s Charlie Becker fill the remaining slots. Reid calls Alabama’s Ryan Coleman‑Williams the toughest to assess after a drop‑prone sophomore year.

Tight end rankings feature Oregon’s Jamari Johnson as the consensus No. 1, with LSU’s Trey'Dez Green and Texas Tech’s Terrance Carter Jr. rounding out Miller’s top five; Reid substitutes Iowa’s DJ Vonnahme for Carter. On the offensive line, Texas left tackle Trevor Goosby appears on both analysts’ first‑team lists, while Jordan Seaton and South Carolina’s Jacarrius Peak complete the selections. The early boards underscore depth at skill positions and suggest the 2027 draft could reshape multiple franchises.