QB Rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft: Who Comes After The Obvious?

My NFL Draft QB rankings for 2026 start with one clean QB1 and a much messier group behind him. There's a real case for only one QB going in Round 1, and most of the rest of this class will be fighting for Day 2 and Day 3 landing spots. If you are looking for where each player will go, check out my latest NFL mock draft.

Here are my top 10.

NFL Draft QB Rankings: 1-5

1. Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)

Mendoza entered college as a run-of-the-mill three-star pocket passer and exited it as a National Champion and the winner of the 2025 Heisman, Maxwell, Walter Camp and Davey O'Brien Awards. His final season at Indiana was dominant: 3,535 yards, 41 TDs and six INTs on a 72.0% completion rate, with an FBS-best 10.8 AY/A and 182.9 Passer Rating, plus 90-276-7 rushing in 16 starts. Indiana went 16-0.
At 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds, his Justin Herbert comp reflects the pro-ready polish and prototype frame, though Mendoza is more functional than flashy as an athlete. His processing speed, poise and short/intermediate ball placement will be a cheat code for NFL coordinators who want to live in second-and-manageable. When the structure of the offense remains intact, he dominates: understands coverage, plays on schedule, puts the ball on the upfield shoulder. Panic heaves and YOLO balls are uncommon on his tape.
The main question NFL teams will have is whether he can produce when the play breaks down. He hasn't seen many out-of-structure snaps, and when he has, he hasn't inspired often with second-reaction magic. He's a sniper, not a brawler—but modern NFL playcallers want snipers. He should be the No. 1 overall pick.

2. Ty Simpson (Alabama)

Simpson had a solid first year as Alabama's starter—3,567 yards, 28 TDs, five INTs on a 64.5% completion rate in 15 starts—and looked the way a former five-star recruit should: rhythm, anticipation, sound fundamentals. His Kenny Pickett comp is appropriate. At 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, his size is modest, his rushing is nonexistent, and his accuracy and technique disappear under pressure. His play also fell off in the second half (6.5 AY/A in Games 8-15 vs. 10.3 in Games 1-7). Could sneak into Round 1, but Day 2 is the more honest range.

3. Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)

Nussmeier is the son of Saints OC Doug Nussmeier, and football's in his DNA. But the tools, size and ball protection are all mediocre. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, the redshirt senior regressed last year (7.9 AY/A in 2022-24 vs. 6.7 in 2025) and was ultimately benched. Long gone is last offseason's Round 1 hype. His Dillon Gabriel comp tells the story: smooth pocket passer, undersized frame, tools that don't project to NFL starter. Round 3 is the realistic range.

4. Carson Beck (Miami)

Beck did yeoman's work in his lone Hurricanes campaign, leading an ascending program to a championship game (3,813 yards, 30 TDs, 12 INTs on a 72.4% completion rate). At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he's a big, rhythmic pocket operator who wins with brain, base and ball placement. But he's old for a rookie—a sixth-year senior—and this year he was less polished than you'd want. He's at his worst under pressure, outside structure and on late-down deep throws: shoulders open, base narrows, balls sail. His Kyle McCord comp captures it. Most likely outcome: a competent-but-common career-long backup.

5. Drew Allar (Penn State)

Allar's season-ending ankle injury and final-year regression (career-low 7.1 AY/A) will push him to Day 2, but he has Round 1 tools with a Sunday frame and a primetime arm. At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, when he's clean, he's maybe the cohort's cleanest QB. His Kyle Trask comp is instructive—big body, big arm, production that never quite caught up to the profile. He's a Day 2 swing for traits.

Quarterbacks Ranked After The Top 5

6. Cole Payton (North Dakota State)

Payton is "upside" personified. With a rocket arm, he flashed last season in his lone starting campaign (71.9% completion rate). With his prototypical 6-foot-3, 233-pound size, he bullied LBs and DBs as a dual-threat pugilist (136-777-13 rushing). He's chaotically raw and problematically inexperienced, and his Riley Leonard comp reflects the physical/competitive profile. He's the kind of small-school boom/bust Day 3 dice roll with snake eyes potential.

7. Taylen Green (Arkansas)

Green is a four-year starter with arm strength and dual-threat skills (2,405 career rushing yards). At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, he's one of the biggest QBs in the class, but he plateaued in college (7.6 AY/A in 2022, 8.0 in 2025). Inaccuracy and blunders make him a Day 3 flier, and his Jalen Milroe comp tells you everything about the athletic ceiling and passing projection.

8. Sawyer Robertson (Baylor)

Robertson has pedigree (four stars) and production (6,752 yards, 59 TDs passing in 2024-25). But his pocket slothiness (17 rushing yards last year) and gambler willingness (25 career INTs) make him a late-round backup. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, his Graham Mertz comp tracks: enough arm talent to be intriguing, enough mobility concerns to cap him.

9. Cade Klubnik (Clemson)

Klubnik is a dual-threat five-star recruit who stagnated across three starting seasons (7.4 AY/A). At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he's athletically and mechanically adequate but schematically and progressionally challenged. A team will draft him on pedigree alone.

10. Luke Altmyer (Illinois)

Altmyer is the dark horse of the class. At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, the 22-year-old junior threw for 3,007 yards, 27 total TDs and just 5 INTs in 2025—efficient, smart and exactly the kind of late-round QB who sticks on a roster as a developmental backup.