As the college football season approaches, the 2026 NFL draft class looks to be especially deep at the quarterback position. A generational blue chip prospect with hall of fame bloodlines, athletic dual threats ready to take over football in the 21st century, and the classic tall, rocket-armed pocket passers that have dominated the league are all available in next year’s NFL draft. A group with this many QB prospects requires a ranked breakdown that highlights all their strengths and weaknesses.
Typically, and sometimes frustratingly, NFL front offices value a high ceiling over nearly any other quarterback trait in the draft. These rankings will attempt to reflect that ethos. Every draft also seems to contain some quarterback prospect who comes out of relative obscurity and impresses enough in one season to have a first-round grade. Predicting that player is a bit like throwing a dart blindfolded, but there are a few names below to keep an eye on.
This piece is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to 2026 NFL draft content this season, and these rankings will be updated monthly once the games get going on Saturdays. More position-by-position breakdowns are to come, but for now, more 2026 NFL draft coverage is here with Stadium Rant’s Way-Too-Early 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
Sam Leavitt piloted Arizona State to their first conference championship in almost 20 years, responsible for over 3,300 yards of offense. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year showed remarkable poise under pressure in his first season for the Sun Devils, scoring insanely high in multiple metrics according to Pro Football Focus. He has dangerous deep ball accuracy, and Leavitt elevated his game when it mattered most in both conference championship games and the college football playoff.
Leavitt will have to adjust to new looks that defensive coordinators will throw at him this season, now that he is a known threat. After only one season, he certainly needs more snaps before any NFL team considers him a first-round talent. Leavitt’s frame is slightly concerning at 6’2″ and only 200 pounds, and he’s effective enough in the read option game at the college level, but he may have problems creating with his legs against NFL speed.
A real shot in the dark at the number six spot. Francisco Mendoza may belong in the honorable mention portion of this list. Still, he has all the skills and opportunity to be a first-round pick after transferring from Cal to face Big Ten competition with Indiana. The 6’5″ 225 225-pound Hoosier is a classic pocket quarterback with a nice release and some real arm talent, in the mold of Jared Goff. Mendoza can scoot a bit as well for someone his size. He’s not an option in the running game, but can get to the corner when things break down in the aerial game.
Mendoza will have to prove himself against better competition to justify this ranking. He throws a highly catchable ball, and displays the accuracy to lead receivers, mix that in with a lot of touch on his passes and the ability to change arm slots, and that’s a recipe for an NFL QB. Mendoza’s talent is there, and Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has surrounded the signal caller with capable players on the outside. Road tests against Oregon and Penn State are games that could considerably change his draft value.
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik’s progression leaped forward in 2024. From his sophomore year to his junior year, his interception rate has plummeted, and his yards per attempt and air yard average have all increased by a yard or more. The Tigers’ QB passed for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, and only six interceptions while adding another seven touchdowns on the ground. He is a very dangerous runner both when breaking containment and on designed runs, as seen here in his 50-yard highlight run against Pitt.
This offseason, scouts around the NFL had a second-round grade on Klubnik before he decided to return to Death Valley. Klubnik has excellent pocket mobility and can extend plays while keeping his eyes downfield. He has a quick release and a natural improvisational skill, and has drawn comparisons to Russell Wilson and Baker Mayfield. He’s a prospect that could do real damage in a modern NFL offense; however, Klubnik’s decision-making, especially under pressure, will have to improve, especially if he expects to be a top ten pick.
Penn State’s Drew Allar is a classic, throwback type of quarterback prospect that NFL franchises either hit a home run on or completely whiff. The 6’5″ 240-pound Nittany Lion has a huge arm that has drawn comparisons to Josh Allen and Joe Flacco. The senior has demonstrated an ability to improve year over year in Happy Valley, throwing for 3,327 yards in his junior season, with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Allar’s prototypical frame and elite arm talent help make up for his lack of athleticism; he’s probably the slowest guy on this list. He tends to rely too much on his insane arm strength, at times trying to fit the ball into too tight of windows.
It’s harsh to judge a prospect on one play, but he would be higher on this list if PSU’s season didn’t end on an Allar interception in the College Football Playoffs last year against a team this author can still not name. The stakes on his performance this year are incredibly high, and at this point, he could be conceivably selected in just about any of the seven rounds. If he wants to shake the Christian Hackenberg comparisons, Aller will need to impress NFL teams without his All-American tight end, Tyler Warren, and with a receiving core full of transfers and question marks.
Not quite to the degree of the number one prospect on this list, but Garrett Nussmeier’s pedigree is pretty decent. Nussmeier’s father, Doug, was not only a former quarterback with the New Orleans Saints but also currently resides as the Offensive Coordinator in the Big Easy. The LSU signal caller threw for over 4,000 yards last season, and despite only one season as a starter, he is already in the Tigers’ top ten in multiple passing categories.
Nussmeier possesses an NFL-ready talent to create on the move with his arm and can layer passes to all three levels with good touch. The super senior needs to improve his ability to make pre-snap reads of the defense, and tends to be inconsistent in his progression when his first read is taken away. If Nussmeier can improve in those areas, NFL teams will see a Tony Romo-esque prospect with a high floor and slightly lower ceiling than other prospects on this list.
This is quite a lot of projection, but LaNorris Sellers has one of the highest ceilings of a quarterback in recent memory, and as of this summer, the second highest in this class. The SEC Freshman of the Year flashed some serious physical tools at times last season for South Carolina. As a first-year team captain, Sellers has a blend of leadership, dual-threat ability, and a big arm that will have NFL front offices salivating. Only a redshirt sophomore who won’t turn 21 until after next year, he will need quite a bit of seasoning, especially in the decision-making department, before he is ready for Sundays.
All the tools are there, and if Sellers can manage to take another step forward with the gamecocks this season, there won’t be much keeping him in Columbia. He led SC to a 9-3 record in 2024, while passing for 2,534 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Sellers also added 674 yards rushing on only 166 carries, scoring seven TDs with his legs. He displays an ability to read college defenses both pre- and post-snap, and he can certainly sell some merch, but NFL teams will want to see an improved touch on deep balls and better anticipation on timing routes.
Without a doubt, the number one quarterback prospect in college football right now, there are several significant signs that Arch Manning will not declare for the 2026 NFL draft. Inside the pocket, Manning shows all the promise of his Hall of Fame uncles. His mobility and athleticism are tools Peyton and Eli Manning lacked, however, hinting at a ceiling that even they could not reach. He was a spot starter for Texas in 2024, primarily backing up Quinn Ewers, winning both games as a starter, including a masterful performance against Mississippi State that saw him pass for 325 yards with an 83% completion rate.
Manning will most likely stay in school instead of declaring for the 2026 NFL draft. His family has made it clear that they would prefer he see two full seasons’ worth of snaps before turning pro. Texas is set up for success this season, however, and a Heisman trophy or national championship could change things quickly for the Manning family. If he does declare for the draft, it will be interesting to see if he takes Uncle Eli’s route of determining where he will and won’t play professional football. Either way, expect
Despite what many perceive as an NIL misstep, Nico Iamaleava possesses elite arm talent and the production to be considered for this list. Exceptional height at 6’6″ allows him to read defenses post-snap without having to move his feet too much. He’s only 215 pounds, though, so the frame will need to develop, but the comparisons to NFL starters like Justin Herbert will keep front offices interested in the first round.
Sawyer Robertson is not mentioned in too many mock drafts, but the 6’4″ 220 220-pound Baylor Bear has a great chance of going in the first few rounds of the NFL draft. He was on the losing end of the Texas Bowl against LSU, although the now-senior Robertson put up 445 yards in the air. After throwing for over 3,000 yards and dotting 26 touchdowns as a junior, Robertson is a sleeper to keep an eye on at a deep position.
Oklahoma’s John Mateer followed his offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, from Washington State to the Sooners after putting up nearly 4,000 combined yards for the Cougars. Mateer is a serious dual-threat quarterback, punching in 15 touchdowns with his legs and 29 with his arm. He’s only 6’1″ and has a ton of eligibility left, and a productive season in Waco could see him skyrocket up draft boards.
Carson Beck left the Georgia Bulldogs behind for Miami after recovering from Tommy John surgery. That’s some relatively unknown territory for NFL teams, and medical concerns combined with a lower perceived ceiling may limit his draft value.
Georgia Tech’s Haynes King has shown an equal ability in clutch situations, and the dual-threat quarterback may be the fastest entry on this list. Throwing for 14 touchdowns and rushing for 11 with only two interceptions puts King squarely in the higher upside category.
The quarterback position is one of the most unique and impactful in all of American sports, and NFL front offices are obsessed with finding a championship-level talent at the position. Drafting a first-round QB can make or break a general manager’s or a coach’s career, and the evolution of the position at the college level has been interesting in the NIL era. Players staying longer in college allow professional teams to evaluate their ceilings more accurately, which may lead to fewer quarterbacks being taken in the first round overall, as front offices gain a more realistic view of prospects.
All these factors may combine for a particularly newsworthy few years for the youngest Manning. He may herald a new era of NFL-ready prospects staying in school, getting paid, and emerging with the business sense to demand more agency in their professional futures. We’ve already seen the Cincinnati Bengals bungle contract negotiations with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, and rookie contract rights swirl around the center of the issue.
We’ll have more position-by-position breakdowns at Stadium Rant, with special attention paid to the defensive and offensive lines, as those are the areas, besides quarterback, that prescribe the most playoff success in recent years.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
