The first full Saturday of the 2026 college football season didn’t produce any seismic upsets, although Western Michigan may beg to differ and Boise State made a good run of it.Still, after a long offseason, we’re getting the first glimpses at the projected top prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft class. Which future pros got off to impressive starts? What did we see from a couple of the big-name QBs who should be at the top of the rankings come April?Our draft experts, Dane Brugler and Nick Baumgardner, with their thoughts:Arch Manning: How did he look in his season debut?Sam Khan Jr. and Johnny Sweet1. We got our first glimpses this season at Arch Manning and Dante Moore. Any big takeaways from either of those performances?Dane Brugler: No two quarterbacks will be under the NFL microscope more this fall than Manning and Moore. Though neither was perfect in shaking off offseason rust, both played well and had far more high points than low.Picking up where he left off last season, Manning showcased several of the key traits that make him such a promising prospect: pocket movements, passing anticipation and the mental and physical toughness required at the next level. Probably the biggest takeaway for me, though, was the positive impact of the Longhorns’ offseason additions. Manning now has a more diverse run game, a more consistent offensive line (both in pass protection and the run game) and, most importantly, the presence of Cam Coleman on the outside. There’s no overstating what that type of target means to a quarterback.When you’re a top NFL prospect, though, you are expected to play well against Texas State. The real test will come next Saturday when Ohio State arrives in Austin.Moore faced a much better opponent this week in Boise State, which kept the game close until the end. There were a few decisions and throws he would want back, but Moore got better as the game went on and did a nice job distributing the football to his electric weapons.With a new play caller and several new faces on the offensive line for Oregon, there are still several questions with this offense moving forward. But Moore played like a veteran, so the Ducks’ coaching staff can take solace in the fact that quarterback isn’t an issue — especially when Moore targets tight end Jamari Johnson.It was also great to see Evan Stewart back after last year’s knee injury. He muffed a few punts, but his speed was evident on offense.Nick Baumgardner: It could be a long year for the Manning haters.Manning wasn’t perfect against Texas State, but four touchdowns and 305 yards on 20 completions — that’s a pretty darn strong opener ahead of a big test. Manning was aggressive over the middle, stood tall in the pocket and found Texas’ big-money weapons whenever he was asked. He looks extremely comfortable in charge of Steve Sarkisian’s offense, which is not really something we could say last September.Coleman and fellow WR Ryan Wingo are terrific, and Texas has two top-end backs plus a high-level offensive line. It’s hard to see Manning not having a big year. He is, however, still spraying the ball too much because of inconsistent mechanics, and the red zone interception he threw looked way too familiar. I would’ve loved to have seen a completely clean performance, but it was still a very strong start.Oregon, meanwhile, faced a terrific test, and Moore was basically the reason the Ducks won. The first half was clunky, but — as usual — Moore kept his cool and was at his best in the critical moments. Mentally, this guy is 21 years old going on 45. He’s so steady.2. Yhonzae Pierre launched his 2026 season with a pick six, three tackles and a sack vs. East Carolina? What’s his ceiling?Brugler: I received plenty of “huh?” responses from readers when they saw Pierre at No. 10 in my preseason top 50, but pass rushers who jump off the tape and have intriguing traits will always get pushed up my board — which is exactly what we saw from Pierre in the opener. He rushes with burst and a nose for the football, but his play violence is my favorite part of his game.Time will tell if Pierre can be drafted as high as I placed him in the rankings, but you don’t have to squint to see a first-round-caliber talent. Alabama was rotation heavy Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how Pierre’s snaps and usage evolve throughout the season.Baumgardner: Pierre plays really, really hard — that sticks out every time he’s out there. He’s involved in everything Alabama does defensively. He’s a big-time edge setter who can help in the run game, and he also probably takes the mantle from Rueben Bain Jr. as the player most likely to punch through the chest of an offensive lineman.What you want to see from Pierre now, though, is more refinement as a pass rusher. He’s always had a relatively low win rate and needs to be more efficient off the edge when those chances show up. Saturday was a great start, though.3. Drew Mestemaker looked like a potentially intriguing name in the 2027 class. Did Oklahoma State’s surprising loss to Tulsa change that?Brugler: Until he gives us reason not to, I think we should consider Mestemaker a 2028 NFL Draft prospect. And that isn’t a surprise given his relative inexperience playing the position at a high level. Though he lit up college football last season at North Texas, the start to his Oklahoma State career was rough — the Pokes didn’t score a touchdown until the final minute of the third quarter, and Mestemaker averaged just 4.9 yards per pass attempt, with a pair of interceptions.I have no doubt that Mestemaker and his offense will look better as the season plays out, but it won’t get easier next week when Oregon visits Stillwater.Baumgardner: Everything about Mestemaker’s evaluation was an “if” situation. As in: All of this will be great if he can handle a jump in competition and a new home. Oklahoma State has 92 new players this season, which is an NCAA record — quite literally a brand new football team. So, not only was this Mestemaker’s debut in a new situation, it was basically a restart for Oklahoma State’s entire program.Either way, I’m with Dane — it’s hard to do more than keep an eye on Mestemaker right now. This was always going to be a situation where Mestemaker, a super young player as it is, needed to have another record-breaking year to consider jumping into the 2027 class. But I still think there’s a good prospect in there.4. Which other 2027 NFL Draft prospects have stood out for you in Week 1?Brugler: There were two senior wide receiver prospects I liked a lot over the summer, and both showed up in Week 1A transfer from UTSA, Ohio State’s Devin McCuin was a very underrated addition this offseason, and I think he has the talent to be a potential top-100 pick. He has good, not great, size and speed but plays like a pro with his route awareness, ball skills and overall toughness. He was terrific against Ball State, with all six of his catches resulting in a first down or touchdown. With Jeremiah Smith likely getting double- and triple-coverage looks all season, McCuin should feast — and become less of a secret.Houston’s Amare Thomas entered the season as a top-10 senior wide receiver in my positional rankings, and he showed why in the opener against Oregon State. He finished with eight catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, along with a few highlight-reel plays. Thomas is 5 feet 11 and 204 pounds, with speed that might touch the 4.3-second range.This is a fun senior wide receiver class, including McCuin, Thomas and several others who might not be first-rounders but will carve out productive pro careers.Baumgardner: I hope people didn’t sleep on all the fun Darian Mensah and Miami had Friday night. What a debut for the former Duke passer. Not only is Mensah the perfect fit for everything Shannon Dawson does offensively, but you’re also already seeing improvement in his anticipation and confidence. The Hurricanes are going to score a lot of points this year.Big Rutgers wideout KJ Duff was dominant Thursday night, despite the rest of his offense looking listless in a stunning loss to UMass. Duff, a contested-catch machine at 6-5, 225, had nine grabs for 196 yards and three touchdowns, including a 78-yarder.I’d also throw a shout-out to Iowa OT Trevor Lauck, one of our highest-graded tackles this year. Iowa’s offense was terrific in a 40-0 romp over Northern Illinois, putting up 289 rushing yards (11 players had a carry). The bad news? Fellow top O-line prospect Kade Pieper didn’t play the second half due to an injury.