Kiper's Updated 2027 Draft Board Puts Tennessee's Xavier Gilliam at No. 6

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has released an updated top-25 Big Board for the 2027 NFL Draft ahead of Week 9 of the college football season, and Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam holds the No. 6 spot. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith leads the rankings, a position Kiper reinforced after calling Smith the best player in the draft by a wide margin last month. If Smith went first overall, he would become only the fourth wide receiver in history taken with the top pick.

The board is heavy on quarterbacks and linemen in its overall makeup, with seven quarterbacks, four offensive linemen and four receivers among the 25, along with three cornerbacks, two edge rushers, two defensive tackles, one running back, one tight end and one linebacker. Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker sits second, followed by Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons, who recorded 5.5 sacks in a win over Tennessee and has 31.5 sacks across three seasons in Austin.

Gilliam's place near the top reflects a strong first season at Tennessee for the Penn State transfer in Jim Knowles' defense. He has already set career highs with 25 tackles, six sacks and two forced fumbles, and he anchors a defense that limited Alabama to 201 total yards in a 26-10 Tennessee win. Kiper's ranking would put him in rare company for the program, as Tennessee has not had a defensive player selected in the top six of a draft since safety Eric Berry went fifth overall in 2010.

For Tennessee, Gilliam's standing is both individual recognition and a measure of what his arrival has meant to the defense. A top-10 projection this far from the draft is not a guarantee, but it signals that evaluators view him as one of the most disruptive interior defenders in the country, and continued production would only strengthen that case.