AUSTIN, Texas — Mel Kiper Jr. wrote Friday that the Texas Longhorns, Miami, and Georgia will dominate the 2027 NFL draft, and that any of the three schools could have around 15 players selected across the seven rounds. The projection was the second of 10 predictions in an ESPN column published Sept. 4.
Kiper wrote that Oregon has really good top-end talent and named seven Ducks, but that Oregon probably falls slightly behind the other three in quantity.
In the mock draft Kiper released with Field Yates on Aug. 31, three Longhorns went in the top 10: Arch Manning second to the New York Jets, Colin Simmons fifth to the Las Vegas Raiders, and Cam Coleman 10th to the New York Giants, according to Bleacher Report.
“Texas obviously has Manning, but receiver Cam Coleman, offensive tackle Trevor Goosby and edge rusher Colin Simmons could also go very early,” Kiper wrote. “Rasheem Biles might be one of the best off-ball linebackers in college football, Jelani McDonald is going to be high on my safety board, and tackle Melvin Siani is going to be key in opening running lanes for both Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown.”
Colin Simmons, Cam Coleman, And Trevor Goosby
Simmons played at Duncanville and led the SEC with 12 sacks in 2025. He added 16 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles, was a first-team All-SEC selection, and was named a second-team All-American. As a freshman in 2024, he had 9 sacks and 14 tackles for loss and won the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award. He has played in 29 career games with 13 starts.
Coleman spent his first two seasons at Auburn. On Saturday, in his Texas debut, he caught 3 passes for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 59-7 win over Texas State, according to The Associated Press. Later in the column, Kiper wrote that Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Coleman are the clear Nos. 1-2 on wide receiver boards right now.
Trevor Goosby was cleared for the opener 17 days after a non-contact knee injury in fall camp. Goosby was one of six Longhorns who had a procedure after the 2025 season.
Hollywood Smothers opened Saturday’s game with a 45-yard run and finished with 70 yards on 10 carries. Raleek Brown, who transferred from Arizona State, ran 11 times for 34 yards and 2 touchdowns. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game that the run game has to get cleaner and that the Longhorns managed 111 rushing yards after Smothers’ first carry.
On Aug. 19, the SEC announced 11 Texas players on the preseason Coaches All-SEC team.
Georgia And Miami In Kiper’s Projection
Kiper’s third prediction was that Georgia will have two first-round defensive backs, cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and safety KJ Bolden. Georgia has never had two defensive backs go in the first round of the same draft. Bolden had 76 tackles last season, second on the team, and Robinson intercepted 4 passes as a sophomore.
From Miami, Kiper highlighted cornerback Romanas Frederique Jr. and defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr., and he listed quarterback Darian Mensah, running back Mark Fletcher Jr., and seven other Hurricanes. Kiper wrote that Georgia does not have as many elite prospects but that its list of players with draftable grades is lengthy.
No. 1 Ohio State visits Austin on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC. Ohio State beat Texas 14-7 in last season’s opener in Columbus.
