Jets Should Be Intrigued by What They're Seeing From 2027 QB Prospects (Including Arch Manning)

Oh, it's good to be a college quarterback right now. Not only has the transfer portal been used successfully by some of the nation's top signal-callers, but NIL has allowed those players to be paid even more than in past seasons.

Week 1 of the college football season always brings a fair share of excitement. While we did get some heart-stopping moments in Michigan and Oregon contests, the weekend was all about the dominance of some of the best quarterbacks in the country.

For NFL teams like the Jets, that reality is music to their ears. Not only do they have three first-round picks going into the 2027 draft, but the dominance of these quarterbacks could help Gang Green finally find a franchise signal-caller they can rely on.

That is if the college season continues like it has in the first week, of course.

Early college QB performances should have Jets excited

Let's start from the top, Jets fans.

Seventh-ranked Miami's 45-6 blowout over Stanford on Friday highlighted Darian Mensah's Heisman Trophy candidacy. The former Duke signal-caller threw for five touchdowns and over 400 yards while throwing just three incompletions. While Malachi Toney recorded over 230 yards on that slate and three touchdowns, Mensah is a rising prospect in NFL Draft circles. This was an excellent start.

Oregon's Dante Moore also had a good debut, throwing for 378 yards and three touchdowns in a nail-biting finish for the Ducks. While the game was close, Moore had a very solid outing, completing 75% of his passes (37 attempts). There was an argument that Moore would come out of the NFL Draft last year, but he chose to go back to Oregon. That decision looks good so far.

Then there is Arch Manning. The Texas star and grandson/nephew of one of the greatest football families dominated Texas State on Saturday, throwing for 305 yards, four touchdowns, and a 74 percent completion rate. His true test, though, will come when Texas battles Ohio State next week.

YEAR 3 ARCH MANNING THROWING DIMES 🔥

Tied his career-high with 4 Pass TD against Texas State 😤 pic.twitter.com/xsEbJY9RR1
— ESPN (@espn) September 5, 2026

Speaking of Ohio State, Julian Sayin was very good in his season debut (21/25 for 320 yards, three TDs, and zero INTs). Other signal-callers like LSU's Sam Leavitt (343 total yards, three total TDs, and an INT), John Mateer (11/17 for 225 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs), and other high-quality passers played well so far this weekend. Of note, top quarterback prospect CJ Carr out of Notre Dame played on Sunday night, throwing for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 41-13 win over Wisconsin.

Not all of these players need to come out of the draft this year. Some could choose to stay for their final season of college eligibility. That said, the better these quarterbacks look this season, the better their draft outlook is as prospects.

As well as it is for teams like the Jets with multiple picks available to them.

Jets' QB outlook for 2027 season and beyond

No NFL fan wants to focus on an upcoming draft before their team even plays a game.

For Jets fans who haven't seen the team finish above .500 in over a decade, that reality is clear. They would rather see their team beat the Titans in Week 1 or build a winner on the field through the entire 2026 campaign than focus on which quarterback to select in April's draft.

That said, it isn't rocket science to see how important this college football season is for New York. Not only could this year put multiple franchise quarterbacks in their lap, but it could also be a great opportunity for the team to bring in added talent to aid that young quarterback as well. With three first-round picks, the Jets have the flexibility to get aggressive during next year's draft.

It may be too early to talk about the draft. But after an exciting start to the college football season, it's not difficult to see why teams like the Jets should be salivating over the incoming class of 2027 and 2028, for that matter.

Get Jets On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google