The 2027 NFL Draft has long been thought of as one of the top classes in recent memory, but a lot of that comes from the talent on the offensive side of the ball. Arch Manning and Jeremiah Smith headline elite quarterback and wide receiver classes that teams will be ecstatic to get their hands on, but the defensive side of the ball has its fair share of stars as well.
Arguably chief among those defensive standouts is Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore. Moore had a stellar sophomore season in 205, establishing himself as one of the top defensive backs in all of college football.
There's an argument to be made that Moore would have been a first-round pick, and arguably the top cornerback off the board, if he was eligible to enter the draft after last season. Instead, he is the top dog among the cornerbacks in 2027.
ESPN NFL Draft experts Jordan Reid and Matt Miller both ranked Moore as the top corner in the 2027 class heading into the 2026 season.
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Moore was named an All-American after the 2025 season and was a finalist for both the Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski Awards. He picked off five passes and returned one of them for a touchdown, all while being at the top of the scouting reports for opposing offenses.
In his career, Moore has 18 pass breakups and seven interceptions in just two seasons. He will only be adding to that total this season on what should be an elite Notre Dame defense, led by him shutting down some of the best wideouts in football on the outside.
There are a number of talented corners chasing Moore's spot at the top of the class this season. Reid and Miller tabbed Georgia's Ellis Robinson IV, Mississippi State's Kelley Jones and Alabama's Zabien Brown as top-five cornerbacks as well. However, none of them have the skillset or the track record that Moore does, making the Notre Dame star the man to beat in this discussion heading into what is likely his final season in college.
The 2027 NFL Draft has long been thought of as one of the top classes in recent memory, but a lot of that comes from the talent on the offensive side of the ball. Arch Manning and Jeremiah Smith headline elite quarterback and wide receiver classes that teams will be ecstatic to get their hands on, but the defensive side of the ball has its fair share of stars as well.