{"id":292130,"date":"2026-07-13T13:30:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T17:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=292130"},"modified":"2026-07-13T13:30:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T17:30:40","slug":"drake-lindsey-2027-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/07\/13\/drake-lindsey-2027-nfl-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Drake Lindsey 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Drake Lindsey (quarterback, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/minnesota-golden-gophers\/\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota<\/a>) is entering his redshirt sophomore season in 2026. This didn\u2019t prevent CBS Sports\u2019 Draft Analyst Mike Renner from mocking him at number four overall in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/college-football\/news\/2027-nfl-mock-draft-first-round-2026-positional-order\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recent 2027 mock draft<\/a>. Does the tape match this lofty projection?<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBjC9I6z92\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3541px; aspect-ratio: 3541\/2361;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<h2>Drake Lindsey 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report<\/h2>\n<h3>Measurables<\/h3>\n<p>Height: 6\u20195\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Weight: 230 lbs<\/p>\n<h3>The Tape<\/h3>\n<p>Games Watched: at California, at Iowa, and at Oregon.<\/p>\n<h3>Strengths<\/h3>\n<p>Lindsey has prototypical NFL quarterback size, so he has no problem seeing over his line. His pocket presence is strong, and he will stand in and take a hit. That commanding presence is also on show pre-snap as he\u2019s a strong communicator.<\/p>\n<p>While not consistent, there are flashes of Lindsey being able to drive the ball into tight windows. He can make throws that can\u2019t be taught and are exciting.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is the kind of play from Drake Lindsey that gets you excited.  He&#39;s got lots to work on, but you can&#39;t teach this kind of throw.<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLDraft<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qCp68lq5w7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/qCp68lq5w7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UKDraftFan\/status\/2076277321137299701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Lindsey doesn\u2019t always throw the fastball, though. He takes something off shorter passes to make them more catchable. His touch is good and shows an understanding of the game.<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota runs what is fast becoming a common NFL offense. They feature the tight end and like to establish the run. On the back of that, they then like to use play action fakes, in many cases with Lindsey under center. Lindsey does a nice job of ball handling and getting his head around quickly post-fake.<\/p>\n<p>There are flashes of getting through his progressions quickly. One area that is more consistent is his willingness to check down. The old adage, \u201cYou can\u2019t go broke making a profit,\u201d is understood by Lindsey and his coaches.<\/p>\n<h3>Areas to Improve<\/h3>\n<p>Given that Lindsey is a redshirt sophomore, there are multiple things he needs to improve. He has the time to do so, of course.<\/p>\n<p>The key area for him to improve is his weight transfer. Even from clean pockets, his weight is a little too much on his back foot. This prevents him from stepping into throws and snapping his hips as he throws.\u00a0 Some of his passes then lack zip.\u00a0 It\u2019s also the reason why his arm strength is only there in flashes.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is a clean pocket for Drake Lindsey, but it&#39;s not a good pass.  His weight is too much on his back foot.  It&#39;s an area for him to improve in 2026.<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLDraft<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/arYvXYrUks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/arYvXYrUks<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UKDraftFan\/status\/2076275752794755523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>His footwork in the pocket also needs work. He is a big man, but he\u2019s not an elite athlete, and even in the pocket his feet look heavy. Going through his progressions isn\u2019t a smooth process for his feet. Lindsey would benefit from some drills to lighten his feet. Playing with an evenly distributed base will also help this area. If this improves, he will look much better climbing the pocket and delivering passes.<\/p>\n<p>Lindsey can also hold the ball too long and take too long to get through his progressions. Experience will improve this area, so it\u2019s not a massive concern at this stage of his development. If this area is unchanged as he enters the NFL, it would be a major concern. Right now, his eyes lead defensive backs to the ball, and NFL defenses would be a struggle for him.<\/p>\n<p>While Lindsey will hang in the pocket and take a hit, at times, pressure causes mistakes. He can rush to his next read and throw before being sacked. This leads to dangerous throws. At times, his eyes drop under the pressure, and he takes sacks.<\/p>\n<p>Lindsey is a limited athlete and is not a threat to run. While the NFL prefers processors over pure athletes, quarterbacks still need enough functional mobility to survive. Lindsey\u2019s is toward the lower end of the NFL spectrum.<\/p>\n<p>There is the odd flash of throwing with anticipation, but this is an area he needs to improve. At the moment, he throws to receivers rather than throwing them open. Again, this should improve with experience.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_252389\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-252389\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/USATSI_27249986_168402708_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Arvell Reese, linebacker, Ohio State\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" class=\"wp-image-252389 size-large\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-252389\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) pressures Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Oct. 4, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Key Tests in 2026<\/h3>\n<p>Minnesota has avoided <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/ohio-state-buckeyes\/\" target=\"_self\">Ohio State<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/tag\/oregon-ducks\/\" target=\"_self\">Oregon<\/a> on the schedule in 2026.\u00a0 However, they face the reigning National Champions, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/indiana-hoosiers\/\" target=\"_self\">Indiana<\/a>, in Bloomington on October 31. That follows hosting <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/iowa-hawkeyes\/\" target=\"_self\">Iowa<\/a>, a game last year in which Lindsey threw three interceptions.<\/p>\n<p>Other tests include Mississippi State (September 12), at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/washington-huskies\/\" target=\"_self\">Washington<\/a> (September 26), a tough <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/michigan-wolverines\/\" target=\"_self\">Michigan<\/a> defense (October 3), and at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/penn-state-nittany-lions\/\" target=\"_self\">Penn State<\/a> (November 14).<\/p>\n<p>There are enough tests here for scouts to be able to judge Lindsey\u2019s improvement.<\/p>\n<p>The full schedule <a href=\"https:\/\/fbschedules.com\/2026-minnesota-football-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Drake Lindsey 2027 NFL Draft Projection<\/h3>\n<p>Lindsey is still a young college quarterback, with one year of starting experience. This shows in several areas of his game.\u00a0 However, time is on his side. Just because CBS Sports mocks him at number four overall doesn\u2019t mean he is there yet or mean he\u2019s ready for the NFL. It\u2019s also not written in stone that he can\u2019t take a massive jump in 2026 and improve on all the areas listed. His story is not written yet.<\/p>\n<p>There are tantalizing flashes of an NFL quarterback, but he has a long way to go before he\u2019s ready for the league. He has three years of eligibility remaining and could even consider a transfer down the road to play with a stronger supporting cast.<\/p>\n<p>For right now, he has upside and makes some throws that excite, but his mechanics and processing need to improve significantly before he should be talked about as a top ten pick.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo: [Mark J. Rebilas] &#8211; Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drake Lindsey 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report.  The Minnesota quarterback has received top ten buzz in some early mock drafts.  Does the tape match such projections?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5857,"featured_media":292141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,33760],"tags":[33861,35017,2030],"class_list":["post-292130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","tag-2027-nfl-draft","tag-drake-lindsey","tag-nfl-draft-profiles"],"modified_by":"Michael Zimmelman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5857"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292130"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":292136,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292130\/revisions\/292136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}