Joel Klatt Predicts College Football Star as No. 1 Overall Pick in 2027 NFL Draft

The 2026 NFL Draft is barely in the rearview mirror, and Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt is already looking ahead. On his podcast, Klatt unveiled his way-too-early top 10 prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft, and the list is anchored by a name that surprises no one.

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith sits alone at number one. The question is not whether he will go in the first round. The question is whether anyone goes before him.

Klatt's full top 10 also spotlights a quarterback class with serious depth, a pair of elite edge rushers, and two names from the Texas Longhorns that could both hear their names called early on night one.

Jeremiah Smith and his case for No. 1 overall in the 2027 NFL Draft

Klatt did not mince words.

"My No. 1 overall prospect is Jeremiah Smith," he said. "He'll be the number one prospect on everyone's board. The only reason he wouldn't go No. 1 next year would be quarterback need at the top."

The numbers back up the conviction. Smith has totaled over 2,500 yards and 29 touchdowns in just 29 college games. He is a 6-foot-3, 223-pound receiver with elite speed, separation skills and spectacular catching ability who has been the best receiver in college football since he was a freshman.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates during the Ohio State football spring game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Klatt drew a historical comparison to drive the point home, noting that the last wide receiver selected in the top three of the draft was Calvin Johnson, who went second to Detroit in 2007.

Smith simply is not draft-eligible yet, having spent just two seasons in Columbus. But barring a shocking shift, he will likely be the No. 1 receiver in the 2027 NFL Draft class. He is also positioned to become the 100th first-round pick in Ohio State program history. Schools reportedly dangled north of $10 million to pull him out of Columbus this past winter. He did not budge.

A stacked QB class and the rest of Klatt's top 10

The quarterback conversation is where Klatt's list gets interesting. He slotted Arch Manning fourth and Oregon's Dante Moore third, calling Moore a player he believed would have been the second overall pick in this year's draft had he declared.

Of Manning, Klatt said, "He reminds me a little bit, not in his production yet, but maybe like a poor man's Andrew Luck." Manning closed last season with 20 touchdowns and two turnovers over his final six games, including a 220-yard, four-touchdown performance against Michigan.

Notre Dame corner Leonard Moore landed at number two, with Klatt pointing out that Jeremiah Smith himself named Moore the toughest corner he faced this past season. On the edge, South Carolina's Dylan Stewart (No. 6) and Texas' Colin Simmons (No. 7) both earned spots, with Klatt noting Simmons already has 21 sacks through two college seasons.

Rounding out the list: LSU tackle Jordan Seaton at five, Cam Coleman at eight, Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr at nine, and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at 10.

Klatt also flagged a longer list of quarterbacks who did not crack the top 10 but could play their way to the top of the board, including Ohio State's Julian Sayin, Indiana's Josh Hoover, and USC's Jayden Maiava.

Smith, who appears at No. 1 in my returning college football wide receivers for 2026, and Sayin are expected to anchor what projects to be one of the most dangerous offenses in the country when Ohio State opens the 2026 season this fall.

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