It’s that time of year, folks. With the draft less than a month out, it’s time for me to release my final position rankings for this class. It’s a process that’s stretched all the way back to last summer, with literal days of grinding film on top of collecting other nuggets from the Combine, All-Star performances and more. It’s all led to this.

We’re starting with the quarterbacks this time, as it’s the position the draft centers around most prominently. It’s no secret at this point that we have essentially a one-man class in 2026, with a certain endearing Heisman Trophy winner and national champion being the banner prospect of the entire draft. He’ll come off the board to the Raiders at No. 1, and there’s another passer that’s getting some first-round buzz as well.

Aside from those two, don’t expect to hear any more quarterbacks picked in the first round. However, I do think this class holds some intrigue in the middle rounds, as a lot of talented players who didn’t live up to expectations will be looking for redemption in the next stage of their careers.

Of course, follow us for more draft coverage. I’ll be finalizing the rest of my position rankings in the coming weeks, as well as providing you all with wall-to-wall coverage of the draft. This next month will be a big one for us on the draft side, so stay tuned!

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1: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

A three-star recruit from Miami, Mendoza got a late offer from Cal after previously committing to Yale. He redshirted in 2022 and was buried on the depth chart initially before taking over as the starter midway through his redshirt freshman season. In 2024, he had 3,004 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to six interceptions and was one of the top transfer portal quarterbacks available. He committed to the Hoosiers and became one of the most dynamic players in college football, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading Indiana to an undefeated season and national championship with 3,535 passing yards and 41 touchdowns to just six interceptions, completing 72.0 percent of his passes. Mendoza added 276 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Standing at 6-5, 236 pounds, Mendoza is built like a prototypical NFL prospect. He is pinpoint accurate to all three levels of the field, hitting receivers in stride with superb ball placement that helps them gain yards after the catch and naturally leads them away from coverage. He devastates defenses with his timing and anticipation, throwing receivers open and hitting them just out of their breaks before the coverage can react. With the ability to make every NFL throw, Mendoza threatens the entire field on each snap, forcing defenses to account for his ability to create big plays. His best trait might be his ability to read defenses, as he always has answers for what they’re trying to do and he consistently attacks the right spots.

Under pressure, Mendoza thrives, with great pocket mobility and route awareness. He can make some impressive throws on the move, keeping his eyes downfield and evading pressure without resorting to immediately tucking and running. Tacklers bounce off his big frame, and he can muscle through sacks to gain positive yards out of broken plays. He isn’t a dynamic open-field runner, but he plays with toughness and has a few moves, always gaining more yards than you’d expect given his average speed. Pressure doesn’t faze Mendoza, and he excels in hostile environments and championship moments, rising to the occasion with steady play and clutch throws.

Mendoza didn’t have the passing volume in college you typically see from No. 1 overall picks, and a lot of Indiana’s offense was predicated on screens, quick slants and some go balls. On occasion, he’ll run himself into pressure, and he tends to take avoidable sacks rather than throwing the ball away. His arm talent is more good than great by NFL standards, and he’s more of a touch passer on deep balls rather than someone who can consistently rip it 50 yards up the seam.

The obvious choice for the top quarterback in this class, the gap between Mendoza and my QB2 is even wider than the gap between Cam Ward and the field was last year. He’s proven himself every step of the way for the Hoosiers, getting better as the season went on and answering every question scouts had. In a normal quarterback class, he might go closer to No. 10 overall than No. 1, but I don’t want to doubt this kid anymore. Mendoza’s keen awareness, toughness, and football intelligence make him an endearing choice to make the face of your franchise.

2: Ty Simpson, Alabama

A five-star recruit from Tennessee, Simpson redshirted in 2022 before losing the quarterback battle to Jalen Milroe in 2023. After two seasons spent as Milroe’s backup, he earned the starting spot as a redshirt junior in 2025, posting 3,567 passing yards with 28 touchdowns to five interceptions, completing 64.5 percent of his passes and adding two rushing scores. Simpson was named second-team All-SEC after the season and chose to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility to enter the draft.

Checking in at 6-1, 211 pounds, Simpson wins by playing smarter than everyone around him. He can dissect defenses when kept clean, manipulating safeties with his eyes and dicing up downfield coverage. With a compact, quick release, he fires the ball with great anticipation and timing, hitting receivers just out of their breaks and beating the coverage to the spot. Simpson is great at recognizing blitzes and coverage rolls pre-snap, adjusting plays at the line as needed and crushing zone schemes by throwing into the empty voids he reads before they appear.

Simpson climbs the pocket well and protects the football when throwing, rarely taking unnecessary risks while still pushing the ball down the field. His ball placement is a major plus, leading his receivers away from big hits and protecting them from lurking defenders. He’s accurate to all three levels of the field and this stands out the most on deep passes, dropping the ball right into his receivers’ arms with consistency, beating even tight downfield coverage.

Under pressure, Simpson really struggles. He’s not very mobile and loses focus when forced to navigate muddy pockets, taking big hits and avoidable sacks. He’s a bit loose with the ball in the pocket, risking putting it on the turf when he gets hit. Even when he gets a pass off, his accuracy plummets, and he doesn’t have the arm strength to succeed on the move or from his back foot. For as good as Simpson is when able to play under control, he panics under pressure far too often.

In my opinion, Simpson is a classic second-round quarterback. Given the weak class he’s in, he’s almost assuredly going in the first round, but he’s not someone who projects as an NFL-ready starter. He’ll want some time to mature behind a capable veteran, but if he can improve his play under pressure, his accuracy and ability to read defenses are a plus at the NFL level.

3: Drew Allar, Penn State

A five-star high school recruit from Ohio, Allar committed to the Nittany Lions with quite a bit of fanfare. After playing a backup role as a true freshman and turning in a solid first season as a starter in 2023, he broke out in 2024, racking up 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns to go with 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He led Penn State to the Big Ten Championship Game and a win in the College Football Playoff, entering 2025 with considerable hype. Unfortunately, Allar got off to a slow start to his senior season before breaking his ankle six games in, ending his college career on a down note.

Standing at 6-5, 228 pounds, Allar has everything you could want in an NFL quarterback physically. With elite NFL arm talent, he can drive the ball deep down the field with a speed and punch that takes defensive backs by surprise, hitting receivers in stride 40 or 50 yards downfield on a rope. His delivery is easy and repeatable, with a picture-perfect release that maximizes his lower-body power without sacrificing accuracy. Despite his reputation, Allar is great on touch passes, layering throws over second-level defenders and lofting nice fades in the red zone. There isn’t a throw he can’t make or one you don’t want him attempting.

Throughout his collegiate career, Allar excelled at taking care of the football. He was always eager to push the ball down the field, but it never came at the expense of smart football and risk-averse play. Under pressure, he knows how to buy time and keep his eyes downfield, producing out of structure. He navigates the pocket well, finding throwing lanes and adjusting his arm angles on the fly to deliver passes. When kept clean, Allar is an accurate quarterback who makes complex, full-field reads and works through progressions to make the right play.

Allar never quite lived up to his potential in college for two main reasons. His mechanics break down under pressure, leading to major accuracy issues. As much as he’s a playmaker out of structure, he becomes volatile when the pocket isn’t clean. His decision-making is usually still pretty good, it’s just that he becomes erratic with his ball placement, missing wide-open throws and badly under or overthrowing his targets. The other issue Allar has on tape is his anticipation, as at times he’s still waiting to see receivers come open before throwing to them.

I have a third-round grade on Allar, but he’s also the prospect I just can’t quit. He’s coming off a major injury and never put it all together in college, and he’s not without his flaws. In a group of very middling quarterback prospects in this range, Allar is the guy I’d bet on, though. He’s got the physical tools and has shown flashes of high-end play at times in his career.

4: Carson Beck, Miami

A four-star recruit from Jacksonville, Beck originally started at Georgia, spending two years backing up Stetson Bennett before taking over as the starter in 2023. He put together a promising 2023 campaign, earning second-team All-SEC with 3,941 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions, adding four rushing touchdowns and completing 72.4 percent of his passes. Those numbers dropped to 3,485 passing yards and 28 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in 2024, completing 64.7 percent of his passes. In 2025, he transferred to the Hurricanes, leading them to the national title game with 3,813 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, completing 72.4 percent of his passes and earning third-team All-ACC honors.

Measuring at 6-5, 233 pounds, Beck is a maestro in the pocket. He navigates pressure well, stepping up and dodging the rush with subtle movements and keeping his eyes downfield. When kept clean, he’s a machine, dicing up defenses over the middle of the field with exceptional anticipation and timing on in-breaking routes. He routinely hits receivers right out of their breaks, leading them away from coverage and creating chunk plays snap after snap. Beck is at his best when he hits a couple of throws in a row, gaining a rhythm and keeping the offense humming with surgical drives that result in touchdowns time after time.

Beck stands tall in the pocket and delivers tough throws, not afraid to take a hit, and maintains proper mechanics despite pressure. He’s got a big arm and can really throw it, threatening deep and to the opposite sideline with long throws that defenses struggle to contain. Accuracy is a major plus for Beck, as he can hit the tightest windows and create open receivers where other quarterbacks simply wouldn’t attempt and couldn’t hit even if they tried.

An older prospect, we pretty much know what Beck is at this point. He has some ability to create out of structure, but he struggles when faced with pressure, leading to poor decisions with the ball and big, avoidable sacks. He’s a gunslinger in every sense of the word, attempting throws he probably shouldn’t and having a higher turnover rate than most, though he did clean this up to an extent at Miami. Beck’s accuracy under pressure wavers considerably and he becomes erratic when he doesn’t have a stable throwing platform. I also thought his arm strength lagged at Miami relative to what it was at Georgia, and it might have something to do with the UCL injury that ended his 2024 campaign.

Ironically, I’m higher on Beck relative to this class than I was relative to last year’s class. Like I said, we pretty much know who he is at this point, but I think he can be a high-level backup who can win NFL games with his arm, and that’s a player worth taking in the fourth round. If he could clean up his play under pressure, he’d have NFL starter potential, even. Beck probably won’t string together enough good games in a row to make teams confident in him as their starter long-term, but he has serious upside as a backup that you just don’t typically see from quarterbacks in this range.

5: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

A former four-star recruit from Louisiana who backed up Jayden Daniels, Nussmeier earned a starting role last year in his fourth in the program. With 4,052 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, he garnered some draft buzz but was a projected second-round pick. Given that, he decided to return to school, putting up 1,927 passing yards and 12 touchdowns to five interceptions in nine games, playing through an abdominal injury that impacted his play and forced him to miss a few games.

At 6-2, 203 pounds, Nussmeier is a smaller quarterback who’s most comfortable operating from the pocket. He’s got a great arm, effortlessly hitting throws to the opposite sideline, deep in-cuts, or go balls with excellent velocity and distance. It’s not just power with him, either, as he’s got good touch on his throws, layering them in over linebackers and dropping the ball nicely between safeties and lurking coverage defenders. Nussmeier sees the field well, finding his reads and getting the ball out exceptionally quickly.

Nussmeier throws with solid anticipation, particularly over the middle of the field. He attacks the seams with precision, leading his targets upfield for extra yards after the catch. Navigating the pocket well, he buys time to find his receivers and create plays when the initial read is blown up. Nussmeier can make throws on the move and maintain his mechanics to deliver accurate passes.

A big-game hunter, Nussmeier can get pretty cavalier with the football. He’s got a gunslinger reputation for a reason, always going for the knockout punch and often passing up easy yards for longer gains that may not be there. He tends to lock onto his primary read and force throws or scramble around without a plan when it isn’t there. Under pressure, Nussmeier struggles mightily, dirting passes when there are escape avenues and generally floundering. His decision-making becomes even more of an issue under pressure, as well.

I have a fourth-round grade on Nussmeier. He projects more as an NFL backup with starter potential rather than someone you’re drafting with the intention of making him the future of your franchise. I think his physical limitations combined with his inability to operate under pressure are a pretty tough combination of weaknesses to overcome, but he does play with the attitude and aggressiveness you want to see. There’s a world where Nussmeier improves his progression-reading skills and becomes a quality starter in this league.

6: Cole Payton, North Dakota State

A Nebraska high school standout in both football and baseball, Payton hails from Omaha and was a two-star recruit. He committed to the Bison and redshirted in 2021 before backing up Cam Miller for three seasons from 2022-2024. Even though he was ostensibly the backup, he was put in as a change-of-pace rushing threat at times, racking up 1,064 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns across those three seasons. Payton finally got his chance to start in 2025, throwing for 2,719 yards and 16 touchdowns to four interceptions at a 72.0-percent completion rate, adding 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Payton’s Combine scores flew a little bit under the radar, but he’s an athletic freak in his own right. Measuring at 6-3, 232 pounds, he smashed the speed and explosiveness testing. That athleticism shows up on the field, where he’s the most dynamic rushing threat at the quarterback position in this class. When he gets moving, he can fly through defenses, gashing them for huge chunk plays. He knows how to keep his large frame low and use leverage to his advantage — he’s devastating in short-yardage and goal-line situations with a natural feel for finding little gaps and pressing with plus lower-body strength.

A lefty quarterback, Payton is great at throwing the deep ball, with natural touch and feel to drop the ball in the right spots. He’s effective on the move, throwing with accuracy and timing to hit his marks and give his receivers a chance after the catch. Under pressure, Payton thrives, standing tough in the pocket to deliver difficult passes and never wavering. He consistently makes smart decisions and isn’t afraid to throw the ball away or eat a sack if it means avoiding a potential interception.

That said, Payton’s tape at the FCS level does have some concerns. He rarely had to throw against zone coverage and a lot of his production came on downfield shots to his physically dominant receivers. I worry about his mechanics, as he can struggle to thread the needle on his passes and deliver them with timing over the middle. This may be due, at least in part, to his unnatural throwing motion and awkward base. It’s not pretty, and he loses a lot of the power in his throws because of how he sets himself up.

I have a mid-round grade on Payton as a project quarterback. He has some really big fans among evaluators, but I hesitate to fully buy into older, toolsy prospects. He’s not ready to play right away in the NFL, and he only has one year of starting experience at the FCS level. That creates an awkward situation where he needs to get more game reps to improve, but he’s not ready for NFL game reps. His athleticism is real and translatable, but he has some work to do before he can utilize it at the next level.

7: Luke Altmyer, Illinois

A four-star recruit from Mississippi, Altmyer began his collegiate career at Ole Miss, enrolling in 2020 and redshirting initially before playing as a backup for the next two seasons. His trajectory changed when he transferred to the Fighting Illini in 2023, where he quickly settled in and started over the next three seasons. After two solid seasons from 2023-2024, Altmyer took the next step as a sixth-year senior, throwing for 3,007 yards and 22 touchdowns to five interceptions, completing 67.4 percent of his passes and adding 242 rushing yards and another five touchdowns.

At 6-2, 210 pounds, Altmyer isn’t built like a traditional NFL quarterback prospect. But his touch and ball placement on vertical passes are gorgeous to watch, dropping the ball into the bucket and beating excellent coverage. Ball placement in general is one of Altmyer’s strengths, as he consistently leads his receivers and delivers a catchable pass right where it needs to be. He throws with anticipation and timing, hitting receivers out of their breaks and beating the coverage to the spot. Altmyer’s shown the ability to hit NFL throws, such as deep seam passes and throws to the sideline from the opposite hash.

Altmyer can make some plays on the move, throwing with accuracy out of the pocket and dodging defenders in the backfield. He keeps the ball out of harm’s way and reads defenses well, finding soft spots in zone coverage and identifying the mismatches in man. Altmyer keeps his head up in the pocket, clearing the trash and finding angles to deliver passes even when the pressure’s on.

Although his accuracy is a plus, Altmyer doesn’t have the arm strength to consistently threaten NFL defenses. His velocity plummets when attempting to drive the ball up the field or hit out routes, and those passes die on him near the catch point and allow defenders to get back into the play. His mechanics break down under pressure, losing his hallmark accuracy when he isn’t kept clean, and he struggles to break sacks against college defenders.

A solid mid-round pick, Altmyer projects as a backup at the NFL level. His combination of accuracy, experience, and intangibles will make him an appealing target for a team in need of a cost-controlled backup, and if he gets opportunities on the field he could earn more of them. Altmyer won’t wow fans on draft day, but he can be reliable in his role for years to come.

8: Cade Klubnik, Clemson

A former five-star recruit from Austin, Klubnik spent his freshman season as D.J. Uiagalelei’s backup before taking over as the starter in the ACC Championship Game and Orange Bowl. He’s started the three seasons since and took a major leap forward as a junior in 2024, when he put up 3,639 passing yards and 36 touchdowns to go with 463 rushing yards and another seven touchdowns. Klubnik took a step back as a senior, with 2,943 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to six interceptions.

Standing at 6-2, 207 pounds, Klubnik is at his best throwing deep. He has the arm to get the ball where he wants it to go and can throw multiple styles of long balls with the appropriate velocity and touch. Back-shoulder fades, true go balls, posts, corner routes, he can hit them all with accuracy and touch, leading receivers to open grass and beating even good coverage. Klubnik gets the ball out quickly and is an accurate passer over the middle, hitting soft spots in zone coverage and making those throws with the appropriate timing as receivers come out of their breaks.

As a runner, Klubnik is legitimately fast and a decent athlete for the position. He can turn a short gain into a big run when he hits a crease, and that also carries over when he’s scrambling. Defenses are forced to account for him as a runner, which brings the offense all sorts of schematic advantages. In the pocket, he avoids the rush and doesn’t take bad sacks, getting the ball out quickly when his reads are there and often creating something out of nothing when they aren’t.

Decision-making is a weakness for Klubnik right now, as is accuracy under pressure. His mechanics waver when he doesn’t have a clean pocket and most of his turnovers come in those situations. For as good as he is at throwing it deep, he doesn’t do it often enough, shying away from big plays more than you want to see from an NFL prospect. Klubnik isn’t great at going through his progressions and tends to wait just a beat too long on his primary target, leading to timing issues throughout the rest of the play. His accuracy drops on the easy throws and he misses the layups far too often, as well.

Klubnik entered the year with decent hype, but no quarterback hurt their draft stock in 2025 more than he did. I have a late-round grade on him as he has a strong pedigree and has shown stretches of good play. But his frame is small for the NFL and he doesn’t do the easy things consistently. That will hamstring any offense he runs, and as such, I don’t see him as an option on Day 2.

9: Sawyer Robertson, Baylor

A four-star recruit from Lubbock, Robertson initially committed to Mississippi State out of high school, redshirting in 2021 then transferring to Baylor in 2023. He saw limited action that season before seizing control of the job in 2024 after the starter went down with an injury. Robertson threw for 3,071 yards and 28 touchdowns to eight interceptions while completing 62.2 percent of his passes, despite suffering a foot injury late in the season that required a walking boot between games. His redshirt senior season in 2025 saw him earn second-team All-Big 12 honors behind 3,681 passing yards and 31 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, completing 60.3 percent of his passes.

At 6-4, 216 pounds, Robertson is one of the more frustrating hot-and-cold passers in this class. His best tape makes him look like a priority Day 2 pick for teams who miss out on the top of the quarterback class — his release and throwing motion are really pretty with consistent mechanics and natural arm talent to drive the ball up the field. Against pressure, he stands tall and takes hits, with the arm strength to deliver tough passes through contact even when his base is altered. With impressive explosiveness testing at the Combine, Robertson proved his lower-body strength isn’t a mirage, and you can see it on display when he can set his feet and really get into a throw.

Despite mostly being a pocket passer, Robertson is more mobile than you’d expect. He had eight rushing touchdowns in his career and he’s opportunistic with it, scrambling for some free first downs when left alone and knowing when to attack and when to get down. He has some of the most beautiful touch passes on his tape, delivering the ball with timing and anticipation to hit his receivers right over their breaks between multiple defenders.

Unfortunately, Robertson also has his share of flaws as a prospect. His accuracy comes and goes in spurts, sometimes with elite ball placement and other times when he misses badly on routine throws. At times, he doesn’t read the field well, locking onto his primary read, missing lurking zone defenders or throwing into double coverage. Robertson’s turnover-worthy play rate was always high and he embraced the gunslinger mentality, often to a fault. Truly, you didn’t know what version of Robertson you were getting on a game-to-game basis.

Robertson has a chance to go higher than expected just based on his tools and frame. He looks like an NFL quarterback, and that matters a lot to some teams, especially in a down class. You can watch his tape and convince yourself that you can get the best out of him more consistently. If that happens, he has a chance to be a starting-caliber quarterback. Still, I’m skeptical. I have a late-round grade on him and he might not be bad pick for teams looking for competition at their backup quarterback spot.

10: Taylen Green, Arkansas

A three-star recruit from Texas, Green committed to Boise State out of high school and redshirted in 2021 before taking over as the starter the following season. That year, he had 2,042 passing yards and 14 touchdowns to six interceptions, adding 586 rushing yards and another 10 touchdowns, being named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year. In 2024, he transferred to Arkansas, throwing for 3,154 yards and 15 touchdowns to nine interceptions, adding 602 rushing yards and eight scores. As a fifth-year senior in 2025, he had 2,714 passing yards and 19 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, with 777 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

At 6-6, 227 pounds, Green is hyper-athletic. He made Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List with a ridiculous size-speed combination, and he had an all-time Combine for a quarterback, legitimately placing as arguably the most athletic quarterback to ever enter the league (in recent years, it’s him or Anthony Richardson). His downfield accuracy stands out, threatening defenses vertically on every play, and he has the arm talent to force defenses to cover every area of the field on any given snap. He’s at his best in the RPO game, using his gravity as a rusher to hold the unblocked defender and force the linebackers to crash down, opening up throwing lanes behind them.

As a runner, Green routinely trucks defenders and runs through tackles, but he also has some wiggle to his game in the open field to make people miss in space. With his speed, he’s a legitimate threat to house longer runs, and when he scrambles, he gives defenses all sorts of headaches. Over the middle of the field, his passes arrive with the appropriate zip and velocity, beating defenders to the spot and threading the ball through some tight windows.

Despite his scrambling abilities, Green struggles as a passer under pressure, with his mechanics breaking down and accuracy varying wildly. Accuracy in general is not his strong suit, and he’s never had a season in college with his completion percentage meaningfully above 60 percent. Green doesn’t typically go through his full progression before choosing to run, missing open receivers by simply not looking at them, and he doesn’t throw well with timing or anticipation. He prefers to see a target open before letting the ball go.

Green is an intriguing late-round developmental quarterback option for teams looking to stash someone on the bench. He’s not ready for NFL backup duties right now, but with his combination of tools and athleticism, there might be something there. Other late-round quarterbacks are more ready now, but don’t carry Green’s upside. Alternatively, he could be a candidate for a position switch — lining him up at wide receiver carries intriguing potential, but he might be a more natural fit as a Taysom Hill-type H-back hybrid player.