MN Gophers QB Picked Insanely High in Early NFL Mock Draft

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The Minnesota Gophers football season is months away, and when it gets here, PJ Fleck & Co. will again enter with some of the lowest expectations in the Big Ten.

In fact, as of today, Minnesota is +30000 to win the conference championship — 12th-worst out of 16 team in the new Big Ten, ahead of only Michigan State, Maryland (+50000), Rutgers and Purdue (+100000).

College football world doubting Gopher football, Drake Lindsey

That means, UCLA, Nebraska and Wisconsin are all expected to finish ahead of the Gophers, despite recent history saying the opposite. And going into 2026 might be the worst season yet to doubt Minnesota, if for nothing more than their redshirt sophomore quarterback, Drake Lindsey.

After he sat behind Max Brosmer as a true freshman, Lindsey was handed the keys to Minnesota’s offense. He responded during his first season as a starter by throwing for 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns and 6 interceptions (63.2% CMP).

Last year was full of highs — like his 31/41 for 324 yards and 3 TD performance vs Rutgers back in late September — and plenty of lows too — most notably @ Iowa where he went 16/28 for 109 yards, 0 TD and threw half of his sophomore interceptions (3).

But there’s little doubt watching the nearly 21-year-old — who has a classic NFL pocket QB profile, at 6’5″, 230 lbs — throw a football that he is the most talented quarterback to play at the University of Minnesota.

Of course, it’s worth mentioning… that isn’t saying much. In case you didn’t know, the Gopher football program hasn’t had a quarterback selected in the NFL Draft since 1972, and Craig Curry was taken in the 8th round, which doesn’t even exist anymore.

Lindsey mocked in the top 5 of next year’s NFL Draft

If 2026 goes anywhere near according to plan, Lindsey — who becomes draft eligible after this season — will undoubtedly change that embarrassing piece of Minnesota Gophers history by the time he’s ready for the league.

In fact, CBS Sports’ Mike Renner likes him so much that his early 2027 mock draft (released Monday) has Drake Lindsey being selected… wait for it… No. 4 overall in the first round by the Cleveland Browns.

4. Cleveland Browns: Drake Lindsey, QB, Minnesota

Drake Lindsey is an up-and-comer more people need to know about because of his certified rocket launcher for a right arm. He’s right there with South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers for the strongest arm in college football. Unlike Sellers, Lindsey has shown the ability to throw with multiple speeds and layer passes beautifully over the middle. He’ll need to improve his accuracy and pocket presence this year, but I like his chances of doing just that in Year 2 as a starter.

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Renner has Lindsey as the third quarterback coming off the board, behind No. 1 overall pick Arch Manning (Texas) and No. 3 pick, Dante Moore (Oregon). The only non-QB drafted ahead of Minnesota’s redshirt Sophomore is Ohio State wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith.

How will offseason arrest affect rising Gopher QB?

This offseason, the biggest news to come out of Dinkytown, outside of Drake going in the top 5 in a major mock draft, was a minor drinking violation the young star QB picked up back at home a couple of weeks ago, back home in Fayetteville.

Fleck didn’t comment other than to say that Drake’s arrest would be handled internally. Ultimately, how the kid QB responds both on and off the field will tell us a lot about his future as an NFL prospect.

With that being said, even if Lindsey plays modestly-well in 2026 — and thus decides not to leave for the draft in 2027 — the Arkansas native will go into his redshirt junior season with the Minnesota Gophers as one of college football’s top quarterbacks to watch.

Still, it’s no surprise that draft analysts who turn on the tape are already taking flyers on Drake Lindsey. If you look past some of the underclassman flaws, there’s a lot to love… but it’s his rocket arm that scouts will continue to fall in love with. From here on out, it’s just about production.

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