Party Crasher: Drew Mestemaker Tape Evaluation Headlines Todd McShay Show

STILLWATER ​— On Thursday, the McShay Show podcast was literally called “Mestemaker’s Momentum.”

Although not the sole focus of the episode, Ringer Draft expert Todd McShay and his co-host Steve Muench spent a considerable amount of time passionately discussing Drew Mestemaker, whom they termed a “party crasher” in the sense that they mostly expected the Cowboys quarterback to be a guy who wasn’t making serious NFL noise until next year.

That hasn’t been the case, as Mestemaker is second in total offense per game, third in passing yards per game, 16th in passing touchdowns, 19th in yards per completion and 37th in accuracy, all while looking every bit the NFL prospect.

“Well, here we are heading into Week 7, and things have gone damn well,” McShay said.

Oklahoma State fans who listen to the episode are going to be upset over two things. First, McShay seems to know the Oregon game came second, but his co-host mistakenly corrects him to say Murray State came second, and McShay seems to assume that must be correct.

Although this impacts the way they discuss Mestemaker’s growth through the season, it seems unlikely their grades would change if they got it right.

The main reason Oklahoma State fans will be upset is this rant from Muench, who makes it clear he doesn’t think the Cowboys quarterback belongs in the first-round draft conversation.

“If you watch that tape, like I’ve watched it three or four times, it’ll make your stomach turn how bad Oregon played in that game,” Muench said. “I mean, the big bad Oregon has not materialized this year. That secondary was terrible in that game.”

Muench’s crusade against Mestemaker centered largely around horrendous pass defenses that Oklahoma State has faced, which the McShay Show co-host points out in great detail.

West Virginia ranks 136th out of 138, giving up 297 per game. Mestemaker hung 389 on the Mountaineers.

Oregon — 92nd, allowing 226 (Mestemaker threw for 317)

UCF — 105th, allowing 237 (304)

Tulsa — 111th, allowing 243 (241)

(By the way, Houston ranks 117th, allowing 248 per game).

Eventually, Muench gets so worked up making the case against these defenses to point out why folks are overrating Mestemaker’s success that McShay interrupts to ask if he’s pissed.

“I’m not pissed,” Muench said. “I’m just frustrated because there are other, there’s a trickle-down to this that other quarterbacks that aren’t, don’t have this story and aren’t getting the kind of coverage and haven’t had this like same schedule are now getting bumped down the board because this Johnny-come-lately guy looks so good.”

McShay is a lot more positive on Mestemaker, which seems to prompt that rant to some extent.

“He’s capable of exceptionally placing the ball at every level,” McShay said. “The ball has like this heavy energy about it, that it will rip through anything. When he like rips it, the ball is like (thwip sound), great energy at the end, tight spiral for whatever. But like it’s just, he throws a beautiful ball when he rips it. The negative I see in his game, and I don’t know that it’s ever going to be a strength, is late flashing pressure in his face. He’s 6-3. He feels taller to be honest, watching him.”

McShay gets a little sidetracked here discussing how he carries the football and his throwing motion. It’s real in-the-weeds stuff, but that kind of thing will matter more to NFL scouts and decision makers.

McShay comes back to praise Mestemaker’s “enviable … mobile, strong rifle arm” before comparing him to some current NFL quarterbacks.

“Jaxson Dart had it, Josh Allen had it, coming out of college I’ll say, still have it,” McShay said. “He has this, I mean, I could go through a litany of guys who are really good starting (QBs), Mahomes obviously has it. And you don’t have to have a height, a certain height, a weight, and a speed.

“This like competitive thing that you can tell, like over my dead (body), (Fernando) Mendoza had it for days, right? And like, there’s these moments, right? And whether it’s the jump, the Mendoza-like jumping into the end zone, but I’m talking more like a moment’s big, guys are hanging from him, pressure’s coming, and he will hang in that pocket with an element of toughness and confidence, and I don’t give a f—, and we’ll just rip that ball, and there’s something about him that I grew to love watching this.”

It echoes what The Athletic’s draft analyst Dane Brugler said on X on Tuesday when he announced that Mestemaker was his new No. 1 quarterback for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Mestemaker has all the competitive wiring you want too. Multiple times on tape he wasn’t shy getting in the face of defenders. Controlled self-confidence. https://t.co/1xdaO7rSBh

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) October 14, 2026

McShay goes on to say that Mestemaker is not pinpoint. He will miss a handful of throws per game. Both hosts also agreed that the Tulsa tape was tough.

“His feet aren’t always married to his eyes, he hasn’t played enough ball,” McShay said. “Just like (fellow partycrasher Missouri QB Austin) Simmons, I want him to come back. But I’m telling you right now, if he comes out with those traits at this position, he’s gonna be a top 10 pick. I really believe that.”

They don’t discuss what their numbers mean, but Muench, for all his frustration, grades Mestemaker out with a 90 while McShay gives him a 93, which is the same grade he gave 2026 first overall pick Fernando Mendoza just ahead of the draft.

They end the Mestemaker segment by listing the top quarterbacks eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Both guys have Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Oregon’s Dante Moore first and second, respectively. Muench puts Mestemaker seventh, one spot behind Texas’ Arch Manning.

The rest of McShay’s list looks like this:

3. Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss)
4. Darian Mensah (Miami)
5. Arch Manning (Texas)
6. LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina)

McShay said he would slide Mestemaker in either fourth or fifth, then ends the segment with the exact thing Oklahoma State fans probably want to hear.

“We have a lot of ball left to play, and hopefully, Mestemaker is smart enough to play another (collegiate) season,” McShay said.

Oklahoma State fans can check out the entire discussion about Mestemaker on the McShay Show here.