I’m back for part three of my positional previews for the 2026 NFL Draft during the summer scouting period! Last week, I dove into defensive tackles, and this week will be a fun one. I’m going to be diving into my top five quarterback rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft!
2025 was a weird year for quarterbacks, with only one guaranteed to go in the first round, new Tennessee Titans franchise quarterback Cam Ward, and only one other quarterback being taken on night one, new New York Giants signal-caller Jaxson Dart. 2026 is a much deeper year at the position and has many more names poised to go in the first round.
I will start this article with a caveat. Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning will not be making an appearance on this list.
While the tape he has displayed has been very impressive, he has only thrown 95 passes in his collegiate career. I fully expect him to be near the top of this list next April if he decides to declare early, but there simply isn’t enough tape yet to give a real grade.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get started!
Rankings
1. Cade Klubnik - Clemson
Clemson Tigers captain Cade Klubnik is my early QB1 and I planted my flag on that a few weeks ago. Klubnik looks to lead a loaded Clemson roster back to glory in 2025.
Klubnik is as well-rounded a player as you’ll find in this quarterback class. From the athleticism to the accuracy to the processing to the arm, he has all the tools necessary to be the first guy off the board.
Starting with his athleticism, Klubnik is a really good athlete. He’s not a freak, but he’s more than athletic to really hurt defenses from any area on the field. His most memorable display of athleticism was a game-winning 50-yard touchdown run against the Pittsburgh Panthers in 2024.
He’s a very accurate passer. He shows exceptional touch, especially on throws up the seam and along the boundary, and is deadly accurate for the most part over the intermediate portion of the field. He even flashes accuracy on the move.
Klubnik works through his progressions well. He’ll take the occasional risk but typically reads the field efficiently.
A couple of areas I would criticize Klubnik in is that when he does miss, he tends to miss high over the middle which can turn into unnecessary interceptions. He can also get in trouble occasionally predetermining his reads.
Other than that, Klubnik is my biggest “my guy” in this class so far. He has all of his weapons back, and the majority of his offensive line, so the Klubnik show should be on full display this fall.
2. Fernando Mendoza - Indiana
New Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza is my QB2. Mendoza transferred in from Cal Berkeley this past portal cycle and looks to command another productive Curt Cignetti offense.
The ball jumps off of Mendoza’s hand, extremely live arm with a quick release. He can hit every throw on the field with ease from a variety of arm angles.
He’s very accurate as well, especially downfield. The ball placement in that area of the field just leaves you saying “wow” at times.
Mendoza is also a great and confident processor. The command he has of the play pre-snap and post-snap is evident as he works read to read.
He does get himself in trouble once or twice a game when he incorrectly predetermines a read, but for the most part, his processing is squeaky clean.
I’d say Mendoza is a slightly above-average athlete. He’s pretty fast when he gets to his top speed, but he’s a very awkward athlete.
Overall, I love Mendoza’s body of work from the pocket. If you can win from the pocket, you can win in the NFL, and Mendoza may be the best quarterback from the pocket in this class.
3. Garrett Nussmeier - LSU
Returning LSU Tigers starter Garrett Nussmeier comes in as my QB3. Nussmeier should look to build on a productive junior campaign in what was his first year as a college starter.
Nussmeier is the gunslinger mentality quarterback of this class. He’ll have you asking, “Why did you throw that?” and, “How did you fit that throw in?” within a two-play span.
He has a good arm and is fairly accurate in all phases. He’s most accurate down the field and on the move.
For the most part, Nussmeier is a good processor. However, as I mentioned earlier, he will occasionally have you wondering how in the world he thought a read was open.
I’d say he’s a slightly above-average athlete. He’s able to get on the move at times, but he’s never going to be a guy that you run a designed run with.
Nussmeier is effective at maneuvering the pocket, but he does tend to drift left in the pocket which can put his left tackle in a tough spot. For the most part, though, his internal clock is fast and he’s able to create new lanes for himself to throw from within the pocket.
Nussmeier is still a fun prospect and has a nice floor as a pocket passer in the NFL. He’ll have all the weapons he’ll need to help raise his draft stock this fall.
4. LaNorris Sellers - South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks junior signal caller LaNorris Sellers comes in as my QB4. Sellers may have the highest ceiling of anyone on this list and his 2025 campaign will be the most intriguing to monitor of this group.
Sellers is an absolute electric athlete with true breakaway speed, elite acceleration, and the ability to change direction on a dime. He’s also a tank at 6’3” and 240 pounds which makes him an absolute nightmare to get on the ground.
He has an absolute cannon with a quick release which gives him the ability to hit every throw in the playbook.
Sellers did flash some plus accuracy. It was inconsistent, but it was pretty advanced for someone who is stereotyped as just the toolsy, raw quarterback.
I did like some of what he did as a processor, but he did tend to stare down receivers a decent amount. I would argue that had South Carolina’s weapons been better at separating, it would’ve been less of an issue.
Sellers may have the best sack avoidance I’ve seen. That’s not to say that his feel for the pocket is elite because there are times when he runs himself into pressure, but he rarely goes down on first contact. Not only does he avoid nearly every sack, but he turns the majority of them into big plays that break the back of the defense.
Overall Sellers is a super fun boom-or-bust player whose NFL career could end up as the extreme of either side of the scale. He may not even declare in this class, but the tools and flashes of processing and accuracy are undeniable.
5. Drew Allar - Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions’ third-year starter Drew Allar rounds out this list as my QB5. A former five-star recruit, Allar looks to realize his potential and lead Penn State back to the College Football Playoff in 2025.
Allar generates easy velocity with his cannon of an arm. His release is elongated, but the ball still flies off his hand.
He’s accurate in the quick game and gives his receivers the chance to make a play after the catch. I also think he throws a good deep ball. The accuracy on it is spotty, but he lands it in stride fairly often.
Allar is a decent athlete, but a very awkward athlete. He can run, but he runs like he’s not used to his 6’5” and 236 pound frame.
His lower half technique-wise is a mess. The footwork is all over the place and his hips look out of sync at times.
The timing is also a bit off as a passer, especially in the intermediate portion of the field. This can cause missed opportunities and interceptions.
Allar is not quite as risky with the football as Nussmeier, but he still is rather risky. The processing isn’t necessarily bad, but he does have moments where he just throws it into double coverage for no apparent reason.
At the end of the day, the floor and ceiling for Allar are very far apart. I did like some of what I saw, but the negatives were enough to keep him outside the top four, which I consider to be tier one in this class.
Honorable Mentions
Now that we’ve discussed my top 5, let’s dive into some guys who didn’t quite make the cut but are names to watch in 2025.
Arch Manning - Texas (see third paragraph)
Aidan Chiles - Michigan State
Sam Leavitt - Arizona State
John Mateer - Oklahoma
Final Thoughts
This is a really fun quarterback class with many high-ceiling prospects. This may be the list that shifts the most throughout the process, but as of now, I’m confident in this list as my 2026 top-five quarterback rankings.