Drew Mestemaker QB Oklahoma State |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #17 PLAY STYLE: Pocket Passer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 11/03/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.75 seconds (67%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #17 | |
| PLAY STYLE: Pocket Passer | |
| Last Updated: 11/03/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.75 seconds (67%*) | |
| Overall Rating: |
90.0 / 100
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|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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82% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Release Speed: |
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85% |
| Short Passing: |
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79% |
| Medium Passing: |
|
91% |
| Long Passing: |
|
96% |
| Rush/Scramble: |
|
75% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
1st - Top 5
Overall Rank:
#4
Position rank:
#1 (QB)
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| College Games: 26 College Snaps: 1632 | ||
247 RATING: 98/100
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mac Jones - Alabama |
|
94% |
| Bo Nix - Oregon |
|
88% |
| Hendon Hooker - Tennessee |
|
87% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Drew Mestemaker never started a varsity game at quarterback in high school. At Vandegrift High in Austin, Texas, he was a backup who punted and played safety, and he arrived at North Texas as a walk-on with no scholarship offer, starting out as the fifth-string quarterback.He redshirted in 2024 and made his first start in the First Responder Bowl against Texas State, throwing for 393 yards and adding a 70-yard touchdown run. Starting all 14 games in 2025, he led the FBS with 4,381 passing yards, threw 34 touchdowns against nine interceptions and set a school record with 608 yards at Charlotte. He won the Burlsworth Trophy and was named the American Conference offensive player of the year as North Texas won 12 games, though he threw three interceptions in the conference title game loss to Tulane.
Mestemaker followed head coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State in January 2026. After two interceptions in a 24-10 loss at Tulsa, he beat No. 6 Oregon 39-31 with 317 passing yards and a career-high 109 rushing yards and was named AP national player of the week. Later he threw for 389 yards at West Virginia, 386 and four touchdowns against Colorado and 323 with five scores in a 51-49 loss at Iowa State. His eight-game totals stand at 2,653 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and UCF coach Scott Frost said he would be surprised if Mestemaker was still in college next year.
Honors & awards
- 2025 Burlsworth Trophy
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Fast internal clock and a quick release keep him on schedule
- Pushes the ball downfield accurately, with his intermediate and deep work the strength
- Beat No. 6 Oregon with 317 passing yards and 109 on the ground
- Set a North Texas record with 608 passing yards at Charlotte
- Works through progressions with patience inside the Air Raid structure
- Throws with anticipation into tight intermediate windows over the middle
- Has topped 300 passing yards in seven of eight games this season
- Walk-on who climbed from fifth string to the top of the FBS passing chart
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Release starts low, and boundary throws sail when the follow-through skips
- Interceptions come in bunches, with two at Tulsa and two against Oregon
- Thin frame that needs more functional weight for the NFL
Scouting Report: Summary
Mestemaker is one of the more unusual evaluations in recent drafts, a zero-star walk-on who never started a varsity game in high school, led the FBS in passing in 2025 and then beat a top-ten team in his first Power Four start. The arm talent is real: his release is quick, the deep and intermediate accuracy is the strength of his game, and he plays with the timing and patience the Air Raid demands.The 2026 tape has answered the biggest question from his North Texas film, which was whether the production would hold up against better defenses. He beat Oregon with his arm and his legs, threw for 389 yards at West Virginia and 386 against Colorado, and has topped 300 yards in seven of eight games. He gets the ball out quickly enough to keep himself clean, with nine sacks on more than 300 dropbacks, and he has made plays with his legs when the pocket breaks down, as Oregon learned. Eric Morris has said he prepares and practices like a professional.
However, the mechanics still need work. His release starts low, almost from the hip, and when he does not finish the follow-through the ball sails, which has driven several of his interceptions. He threw two in the loss at Tulsa, two more against Oregon and three in the 2025 conference title game loss to Tulane, so the turnovers tend to come in clusters. He is also thin and needs functional weight to take NFL hits.
Overall, the release, the arm and the competitive wiring give a staff a real foundation, and his rise from walk-on to one of the most productive passers in the country says a lot about how he works. He projects as a first-round quarterback who can push for the top of the draft if the mechanical fixes hold.
How other scouting services rate Drew Mestemaker (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
16.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
3.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.