Drew Mestemaker Discusses the NFL Draft

FRISCO, Texas — The NFL now feels inevitable for quarterback Drew Mestemaker at some point.

​That probably sounds like a mild take, perhaps even a boring one, given that Mestemaker led the nation with 4,379 passing yards while tossing 34 touchdowns and only nine interceptions.

Since transferring to Oklahoma State this offseason, the buzz surrounding his story has only grown in anticipation of his first season of power-conference football.

​But just remember, Mestemaker never started at quarterback during his high school career, and the only thing stopping him from starting his career at the junior college level was a last-second walk-on offer from North Texas.

“That has always been the goal (the NFL), and there were definitely times where I was like this goal is looking real far away right now,” Mestemaker said on Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days. “But I didn’t know how it will work out, but I always knew somehow it would work out. People probably call me crazy for it, but I always knew somehow I would find a way to make it work.”

ESPN had Mestemaker down as the fourth quarterback taken in the first round in a way-too-early 2027 mock draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projected Mestemaker as the third quarterback taken in 2027, going as high as eighth overall.

That kind of chatter has caused speculation among some Oklahoma State fans wondering how realistic it is that Mestemaker departs for the NFL so soon after arriving in Stillwater. Lighting the college football world on fire one year at North Texas is one thing. Putting together high-quality tape against power conference opponents is another task altogether.

If Mestemaker can dominate against a schedule filled with both Big 12 opponents and the national title-contending Oregon Ducks, then he could have a tough call to make come December. Even if he doesn’t quite emerge as a top-five guy at the position this fall, Mestemaker seems like a lock to contend for a first-round selection in one of the next two draft classes.

And if there was any more doubt that Mestemaker, the former zero-star prospect forced to walk-on, has put himself on the map as a potential first-rounder, he was asked about the 2027 NFL Draft during Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday.

“I think it all depends,” Mestemaker said. “Obviously, that is the end goal, but I think that is a decision for after the season. That is definitely not something I am focused on right now because I got something big sitting right in front of me. And so it is not a decision I am looking at right now but something I will have to talk about with my friends and family after.”