Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza will go to the Raiders with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is expected to go somewhere late in the first round. After that, it could be a long time before the third quarterback drafted hears his name called.
There’s no consensus opinion about who the third quarterback off the board will be, but all the other quarterbacks are extreme long shots to go in the first round, and appear unlikely to go in the second round, either.
LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier is generally recognized as the third-best quarterback in the draft, but his stock fell during his fifth and final season at LSU last year, when he took too many sacks and struggled with injuries. After entering the 2025 season with first-round buzz, he looked last year more like a mid-round pick. He’s the son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.
Penn State’s Drew Allar similarly saw his draft stock fall in 2025, when he struggled in the early portion of the season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. When healthy he’s a decent runner, and his career passing stats (63.2 percent completion percentage, 61 touchdowns and 13 interceptions) were solid, but his play in 2025 did not inspire a lot of confidence that he’s going to be a great NFL quarterback.
Clemson’s Cade Klubnik was another quarterback who entered 2025 with first-round hype but exited it with no one considering him a first-round pick. He and Clemson had a disappointing season, and he may have to wait until Day 3 of the draft to hear his name called.
Miami’s Carson Beck probably helped his draft stock by staying in college in 2025, transferring from Georgia and leading Miami to the national championship game, but he still looked more like a mid-round pick.
The most intriguing prospect may be Taylen Green, who put on a show at the Scouting Combine, with a 4.36-second 40-yard dash and 43.5-inch vertical jump, best ever for a quarterback. At 6-foot-6, Green checks all the boxes as an athlete, but his passing stats were mediocre in four years as a college starter, two at Boise State and two at Arkansas.
All it takes is one team to have a high grade on a quarterback and draft him earlier than anyone expects, and perhaps one of these quarterbacks will be a surprisingly high pick. More likely, however, after Simpson is drafted, the rest of the quarterbacks will be waiting a long time to hear their names called.
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