Which 2027 NFL Draft prospects have hurt their stock? Five players falling early

The opening stretch of the college football season can force a recalibration of sorts.

The 2027 NFL Draft class prompted plenty of strong preseason opinions on the pecking order at several positions. But even with only a handful of games complete, some of those initial narratives warrant reconsideration. And while a good number of players have qualified as risers due to their strong showings in September, at least a handful of others have hurt their standing for next April's draft.

Here are five notable players whose draft stock has taken a significant hit so far this season:

QB LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

When assessing a 6-foot-3, 238-pound passer who boasts one of the strongest arms in college football along with dynamic dual-threat capabilities, there's plenty of incentive to stay patient. Outsiders have patiently waited for Sellers to fully harness the singular physical tool kit he showcased late in his freshman season, mentioning his name throughout the last 18 months among the top quarterbacks for the '26 and '27 draft classes. But an even more extended wait might be in store for a signal-caller yet to fully blossom as so many hoped he would.

In his third year as a starter, Sellers is off to a particularly rocky start. More worrisome than his four interceptions, however, is the tentative nature of his play. Sellers' struggles to anticipate have compounded his problems in throwing with any conviction, leading him not only to miss windows as they open but to also force passes into danger late. After Sellers took 42 sacks last year, South Carolina hired a new offensive coordinator in Kendal Briles, marking a clear attempt to cater its system to leveraging the signal-caller's skill set while providing him some easier answers through the air. Instead, many of the same problems have lingered. Without immediate resolution, Sellers might be best suited returning to the college ranks for 2027, though his return might not be so simple if the Gamecocks clear house.

QB John Mateer, Oklahoma

In a class rife with more even-keeled quarterbacks, Mateer always figured to be a wild card. Since piling up 44 touchdowns at Washington State in 2024 with his devil-may-care approach as both a passer and runner, the 6-1, 224-pound passer has stood out as a uniquely unpredictable offensive catalyst. But could he actually string together the consistency required to become an early draft pick? This offseason fostered some hope on that front, as he not only showed off a bulked-up frame but also reworked mechanics that were thrown further off kilter by last season's thumb injury.

So far, however, it's been more of the same erratic play. Mateer earned a few side-eye looks when he acknowledged that it took screams from the crowd for him to notice that receiver Isaiah Sategna was wide open for a touchdown against New Mexico. He came fully unraveled against Georgia, committing three ghastly turnovers on consecutive drives in the third quarter. The jump passes and whip-crack release might be fun to take in when things are clicking for Mateer, but he's been an anchor on the Sooners' offense, leaving his stock in free fall.

DE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

After missing the first two games of the season with a back ailment, Stewart threw his standing - both with South Carolina and as a top-10 draft prospect - into a state of uncertainty not long after his return. The 6-5, 250-pound edge rusher was the wrong kind of explosive against Alabama, punching Crimson Tide tight end Josh Ford and arguing with coaches while refusing to come out of the game. He was subsequently suspended indefinitely by coach Shane Beamer, who this week didn't commit to any timeline for his star defender's return.

Beamer showed Stewart some grace, calling him a "kid (who) has a lot of stuff going on in his life." Will NFL teams do the same? His transcendent talent very well may earn him a good deal of leeway, as he might have the best combination of burst and flexibility of any edge rusher in college football. But clashing with his own coaching staff to the point of being banned by Beamer - a coach on the hot seat, no less - is sure to sound some alarms with scouting departments. The talent might still warrant a gamble early in the draft, especially for a franchise that believes it has the right guardrails in place to ensure Stewart won't veer off track again. Yet it's clear that he's added layers of complexity to a draft evaluation that otherwise could have been relatively straightforward.

LB Sammy Brown, Clemson

Since arriving at Clemson as one of the most hyped recruits in his class, Brown hasn't known much else beyond smooth sailing. After being selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, he followed up with a sophomore campaign that positioned him as the preseason favorite to be the first linebacker selected next April.

But the supreme athlete has clearly hit a rough patch. He missed four tackles against North Carolina, according to Pro Football Focus, and another three the following week against Cal. Brown's lapses have been surprising given his previous consistency in finishing plays, but it comes at a particularly bad time as Georgia's Chris Cole and other draft-eligible linebackers have come on strong in September. There's plenty of time for Brown to turn things around, and his elite athleticism and lengthy track record of upper-echelon performance should prevent him from slipping too far. Still, he can't be considered a first-round lock at this point.

S Koi Perich, Oregon

After breaking onto the scene as a Freshman All-American at Minnesota, Perich struggled to match his previous playmaking highs as a sophomore. Transferring to Oregon seemed to put him on a similar path to the one taken by Dillon Thieneman, who first starred at Purdue before reviving his stock with the Ducks.

Instead, Perich has been a far cry from his first-round predecessor. The 6-1, 202-pound cover man nabbed his first interception of the season on an airmailed, late-game throw by USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, but he otherwise hasn't made a dent as a playmaker. Coverage lapses and run-stopping miscues have piled up, all while a talented defense has gone on to allow the sixth-most yards per game of any team in the Big Ten. More splash plays might boost his profile, but Perich still has to demonstrate he can be a consistent presence on the back end. Failing that, he could get lost in the shuffle of what's sizing up to be a deep safety class.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which 2027 NFL Draft prospects have hurt their stock? Five players falling early