# Gilberto Manzano: Manzano ranks their top 10 prospects for the 2027 NFL draft, with Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith at No. 1 and Texas edge Colin Simmons at No. 2, and makes several positional-order and draft-slot calls within the list. **Claimed:** Nov 12, 2026 **Pundit:** Gilberto Manzano — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/gilberto-manzano **Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sports-illustrated **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/top-10-prospects-2027-nfl-draft-cj-carr-case-qb2 8 checkable claims — 4 position order calls, 3 mock draft picks and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call. It names 8 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one. > Here are my top 10 draft prospects as we enter the final stretch of the college football regular season. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Xavier Williams to be 1st DT off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: Xavier Williams, Tennessee Titans - Verdict: not settled yet - **Charlie Becker to be 2nd wide receiver off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: Charlie Becker - Verdict: not settled yet - **C.J. Carr to be 2nd quarterback off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: C.J. Carr - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jeremiah Smith to be picked “top-three pick” (picks 1–3)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jeremiah Smith - Verdict: not settled yet - **Leonard Moore to be picked “early on Day 1” (picks 1–17)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Leonard Moore - Verdict: not settled yet - **Ashton Hampton to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Ashton Hampton - Verdict: not settled yet - **Drew Mestemaker to be 1st quarterback off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: Drew Mestemaker - Verdict: not settled yet - “Here are my top 10 draft prospects as we enter the final stretch of the college football regular season. 10. Xavier Gilliam, DT, Tennessee ... 1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State” - Kind: Top Player Lists - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Xavier Williams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/xavier-williams - Tennessee Titans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/titans - Charlie Becker — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/charlie-becker - C.J. Carr — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/c-j-carr - Jeremiah Smith — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jeremiah-smith - Leonard Moore — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/leonard-moore - Ashton Hampton — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/ashton-hampton - Drew Mestemaker — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/drew-mestemaker ## What others said about the same people - Shaun Calderon on Jeffery Simmons: Calderon argues the 0-5 Titans won't turn their season around, that Cam Ward won't be benched soon, and that Jeffery Simmons stays in Tennessee while Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley are likely trade candidates with modest returns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fcfebcd7-04de-406f-aa74-4c404a9f8b0e (scored 0) - Lane Mills on Tennessee Titans: Mills predicts the Titans finish 2026 at 6-11 (2-4 in the AFC South), missing the playoffs, with specific wins over the Jets, Giants, Browns, Jaguars, Raiders and Colts, and names Wan'Dale Robinson team MVP with another 1,000-yard, seven-touchdown season as Cam Ward's top receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5a2c4e6d-57dd-4dc9-9f27-c1446726f490 (scored 0) - Nathan Jahnke on K.J. Osborn: An unsigned PFF preseason recap makes numerous depth-chart, roster and usage projections across the league, based on Week 3 preseason playing time — including Roman Wilson winning Pittsburgh's third receiver job, Luke McCaffrey's roster spot being in danger, Charlie Kolar as the Chargers' top tight end, and Kendre Miller as the Saints' RB2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/47566b48-8024-4960-b25c-11c03fe43543 (scored 100) - Charlie Campbell on Xavier Williams: Campbell's draft stock report projects Indiana WR Charlie Becker as a top-10 pick in 2027, Mississippi State CB Kelley Jones as a first-rounder, Tennessee DT Xavier Gilliam as a top-15 pick, and Texas OT Trevor Goosby as a top-10 pick, while suggesting Arch Manning could still be a first-rounder if they declare. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2dd4bf46-e5eb-4dff-8500-95d9fdbd2986 (scored 0) - Gennaro Filice on Tennessee Titans: The lone NFL.com pick for Tennessee, projecting a low-scoring 14-13 Titans upset built on their defensive front containing Jonathan Taylor. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/82b9c77a-e26d-4ea7-ac0f-51e169b90170 (scored 88.1) - Dan Graziano on Tennessee Titans: The lone ESPN pick for Tennessee, taking the Titans to beat the Colts. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3e2b2f7e-ad60-423a-9f5e-6114c8c1c48d (scored 100) ## More position order calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Joe Marino on Arvell Reese: Marino stacks 14 inside linebackers in the 2026 NFL draft class and assigns each a round-value grade, with Sonny Styles first (top-10 grade) and Anthony Hill third; they say Hill would be their preferred pick if Buffalo takes a linebacker at No. 26. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fa349c5e-12c5-4b82-84ad-aff5d3bba78b (scored 100) - Ian Rapoport on Tetairoa McMillan: Rapoport said Travis Hunter is likely the pick at No. 2 for the Browns, that Shedeur Sanders is in play at No. 3, and predicted Tetairoa McMillan would be the first receiver drafted. They also expected Brock Purdy's next deal to land around $50 million per year with Dak Prescott remaining the only quarterback above $60 million. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ab1b5fb3-d399-4b59-87fa-3e683b3cad77 (scored 70.71) - Peter Schrager on Tetairoa McMillan: Schrager laid out their top 10 prospects entering the 2025 combine, with Travis Hunter first, Abdul Carter second and Tyler Warren third, and attached draft-range calls to several of them — Will Johnson in the first round, Mason Graham a top-five pick, Ashton Jeanty a first-rounder, Tyler Warren not escaping the top ten, and Cam Ward a top-five to top-ten pick who will start as a rookie. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/6346ea38-e7e1-45a3-a146-5231338dd001 (scored 70.71) - Matty Lane on Spencer Fano: Maddie Lane said Spencer Fano is clearly the first tackle off the board, that the top four players in their mock will be four of the first five picks, that Malik Mohammed goes ahead of Igbunosin, and that Blake Miller would beat out Jalen Moore for the Chiefs' starting job. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/61fb26a0-be21-4ad0-bc4f-de49db439f63 (scored 100) - Nick Shook on Francis Mauigoa: Shook walks through their full first-round mock draft, assigning a prospect to every pick from No. 1 to No. 32, headlined by Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders, David Bailey to the Jets and Jeremiah Love to the Cardinals in the top three. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7d4209aa-2e2d-47a2-b6e5-791d16d209cb (scored 70.71) - Daniel Jeremiah on Spencer Fano: Jeremiah's Mock Draft 3.0, discussed pick by pick: Mendoza first overall, Arvell Reese to the Jets at 2, Francis Mauigoa to the Cardinals at 3, Jeremiyah Love to the Titans at 4, Sonny Styles to the Giants at 5, and on through the first round. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/81b98180-a971-4b4f-a610-5aa2906a1ea5 (scored 70.71) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=gilberto-manzano