Haynes King Tabbed As The Most Underrated Quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft

King has been on the rise this offseason, showing out in college all-star games and putting on a very good showing at the NFL combine. With a lot of questions swirling around this quarterback class after Indiana's Fernando Mendoza at No.1, King is starting gain plenty of fans around the league and ESPN's Adam Rittenberg labeled King one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the class:

"King became one of college football's top dual-threat quarterbacks, especially during his time at Georgia Tech, where his approach fit perfectly with coach Brent Key's philosophy. He's known primarily as a hard-charging runner, but he grew as a passer, completing 71.1% of his passes during his final two seasons and cutting down his interceptions. King had the top times for both 3-cone drill (6.89 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.17 seconds) among quarterbacks at the combine, while finishing second in the 40-yard dash (4.46 seconds)."

King is one of, if not the most competitive quarterback in the class and was one of the best leaders in the sport while at Georgia Tech. There have been questions about how his game will translate to the next level, but Yellow Jackets quarterback coach Chris Weinke could not be more confident that King is going to succeed at the next level:

“Yeah, just I mean having the opportunity to work with them and then knowing what it takes to be successful at that level. The guy's gonna walk in the locker room, everybody's gonna like him. He has natural leadership skills. Athleticism speaks for itself, but I think what happens in the National Football League is that the guys that have high football IQs stick around for a long time. They carry themselves the right way.

He's well respected by everybody in the building. It's gonna happen wherever he ends up. The challenge he has is, Who's gonna draft them, right? I always say it doesn't matter where you get drafted, you wanna get drafted to the right place. I've had numerous phone calls from coaches, GMs, scouts, everybody's excited about them. It'll be interesting to see who pulls the trigger and whoever does is getting a hell of a football player and a great man.”

I think that King is going to carve out a role on a team, whoever it might be, and has a chance to make a roster next season. It is tough to find a quarterback with his intangibles, athleticism, and work ethic, which will all be good translations to the next level. King improved in every season while at Georgia Tech and I think that will continue in the NFL.