There's a lot of time until the 2026 season is over for the Miami Dolphins, but a good chunk of the fan base has already has moved on to next season's NFL Draft, which can shape the future of the franchise depending on who they select.
Any position on the team can receive an upgrade with what will likely be a very high draft pick, if not the first overall. But if the Dolphins were to pull the trigger at quarterback, they have a few options to choose from, but one name is standing out as of late.
And, no, it's not Arch Manning, the son of Cooper Manning and nephew to both Peyton and Eli Manning. After a pair of unsuccessful outings for him as of late, the focus has shifted to a redshirt sophomore in the Big 12 Conference.
If You Want Talent, You Go To Stillwater
Drew Mestemaker didn't even begin his football journey as a quarterback. He was a dual-threat option at both punter and safety in high school before making the change to QB when he walked on at North Texas. With the Mean Green, he had one of the best seasons at the position in 2025, recording 4,379 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
When UNT head coach Eric Morris took the job at Oklahoma State ahead of 2026, Mestemaker followed suit, and he hasn't lost a beat despite the tougher competition in the Big 12. Their loss to Tulsa to begin the season has only become more confusing, since they proceeded to take down Oregon the week after, who was ranked ninth in the nation.
The Cowboys then rattled off three more wins before a tough loss on the road to 20th-ranked Houston. Through it all, Mestemaker has had an excellent season with 1,940 yards and 16 touchdowns, but six interceptions through six games, three picks away from his 2025 total, with at least six more games to go.
Regardless, the national consensus has been overwhelmingly positive on Mestemaker and believes he has what it takes to be the first QB picked in the 2027 draft. The following outlets believe the Miami Dolphins will select him with their pick, which is expected to be somewhere in the top three.
CBS (Josh Edwards) - #1 Overall
ESPN (Field Yates) - #2 Overall
SI (Gilbert Manzano) - #2 Overall
Athlon Sports (Luke Easterling) - #3 Overall
Bleacher Report (Brent Sobleski) - #3 Overall
All of these mock drafts have been done within the past seven days, with Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith ending up on either Tennessee or the Los Angeles Chargers. It's worth noting that the biggest outlet that doesn't think Miami is selecting Mestemaker is USA Today, with Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz predicting the Dolphins will select Smith with the first overall pick.
How Has Mestemaker Become The Top CFB QB?
Mestemaker feels like a jack-of-all-trades quarterback, being able to achieve whatever North Texas and Oklahoma State have asked of him. He has a powerful, accurate arm that coincides with smart decision-making for someone who's only 20 years old. On top of that, he's surprisingly mobile, having rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns this season.
As mentioned earlier, he has thrown a considerable number of interceptions. It feels like the bad decisions he makes come from trying to do too much, spearheaded by the Cowboys' defense, which gives up 358.2 yards and 23.7 points per game, both on the lower end of the Big 12.
The other big knock on Mestemaker is that there isn't much film to go off of. He didn't play QB at all in high school and has clocked one and a half seasons at the position in college. Granted, what we've been able to witness is a lot of good, but the experience isn't quite there.
With that said, any team that drafts Mestemaker might be better off sitting him for a season, learning from NFL quarterbacks about what to do and what not to do. Look towards Fernando Mendoza, learning from Kirk Cousins and taking the occasional snap during blowouts. Yes, if he's drafted by Miami, that likely means one more season of Malik Willis.
In reality, Mestemaker having a quality season isn't the only reason he's emerged as a top QB in the draft. The other big reason is how Arch Manning has regressed in his senior season. Both he and Texas looked promising, with a 24-23 win over Ohio State, taking the top spot in the nation from the Buckeyes.
After losing to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, then to Florida at home the week after, Texas is currently 19th in the nation. Manning has had a pedestrian season with 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Granted, he's faced extreme, maybe unfair expectations because of his last name, but this isn't the best time to have a mediocre season with the draft around the corner.
Other Quarterbacks To Keep An Eye On
The falloff of Manning has painted a picture of how volatile the position is at college. The outlook on a draft hopeful at any position can drastically change with one bad performance, especially at quarterback. Right now, Mestemaker is the front-runner, but there's no guarantee he'll stay that way after a few weeks, at the end of the regular season, or when a champion is crowned in the CFP.
In the event he isn't, there are a handful of other quarterbacks who could make their case to be a top pick. That includes Miami's Darien Mensah, a Heisman front-runner who's led the top-ranked Hurricanes to an undefeated season up to this point, but he's coming off his worst performance against Florida State. The Canes will hope that this is a one-time occurrence before their premier matchup against Notre Dame on November 7.
Not far behind Mensah is Trinidad Chambliss, who began his college career at Division II Ferris State before leading the Rebels all the way to the Fiesta Bowl last season. Unlike Mestemaker, Chambliss has film for days as a sixth-year senior, but there might be too much, as he's already 24 years old. Only four quarterbacks aged 24 or older have ever been drafted in the first round: Phil Simms, Jim Druckenmiller, Brandon Weeden, and Bo Nix.
One final first-round hopeful (Assuming that Manning continues to struggle) is C.J. Carr. Notre Dame's QB is as smart on the field as he is in the classroom, but he only has 17 starts to his name in college. He'll need a quality performance against a top-rated opponent to become a true top candidate, which could come against the aforementioned Hurricanes in early November.
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