Jayden Maiava will be Lincoln Riley's next NFL QB in 2027 draft

Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts was not drafted #1 overall like his counterparts; instead, he was drafted 53rd overall in the 2nd round in 2020 after one great season under Lincoln Riley. That may have gone towards Hurts' benefit as he is the only quarterback to play in a Super Bowl and win one. It is now two Super Bowls that Hurt has played in, and one in which he not only won but also took home Super Bowl MVP. Hurts' career has definitely been different from the others, and many will say the other 3 are better than Hurts. That does not matter to him, nor to the Eagles, as he has been the best winning quarterback in the NFL outside of maybe Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. He is also one of the only quarterbacks to have success against Patrick Mahomes and has outplayed Jim twice in the big game. While he has not put up the production the other quarterbacks have, he has so far been the most successful quarterback in the areas that matter.

Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams was the third No. 1 overall pick that Lincoln Riley produced and his most recent quarterback prospect. Caleb Williams obviously got off to a poor start with the Bears. In 2025, the Bears had an exciting start to the season and started 4-2, but then finished the season with 10 straight losses. Caleb Williams still looked like a star in the making, and this past season with new coach Ben Johnson, the Bears finally saw what they hoped to get out of Caleb after taking him #1. Caleb looked just like the USC version of himself, as he broke the Bears' single-season passing record with 3942 yards passing and 27 passing touchdowns. Caleb led the Bears to an NFC North division title, 2 wins over the Packers, one of which came in the playoffs in dramatic fashion. The Bears had their best season in the last decade in year 2 of the Caleb Williams experience, and the excitement is only growing more and more for what he can be in the rest of his career. In year 3, Caleb Williams should break one of the longest records in NFL history, being the first Bears quarterback to throw for 4k.

Is Jayden Maiava next in line?

Jayden Maiava last season was the most efficient quarterback in the country. He may not get his due for how truly good he was in his first starting season, but he was at the helm of a very explosive offense. He threw for 3431 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions last season. One skill set he does not use as much as he should is his mobility, which will be a great asset for him to lean more into this next season, to fully unlock his potential. In another year with Lincoln Riley and more confidence, I think he will be a quarterback that is up there at the top in the 2027 draft rankings next April. Maiava has some of the traits that the top quarterbacks selected under Riley have as well; he just needs more consistency and needs to lean more into what makes him special.

2027 NFL Draft

Where will Jayden Maiava end up on the big board? We can ask that question now, but what really matters is Maiava leading USC to the College Football Playoff. If he does, a first-round selection would seem assured.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Jayden Maiava will attempt to follow USC's great NFL quarterbacks