A lot of the hype around the NFL draft has always been centered around the quarterback position. We’ve had some great QB classes, including the epic 1983 class with five first rounders led by Hall of Famers John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. More recently, the 2018 (Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson) and 2020 classes (Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts) provided franchise QBs and more than a quarter of all 2025 starters at the position. There have been some dud drafts too, the 2007 draft that had JaMarcus Russell as the first overall pick for instance.
No one has any idea where this 2026 draft class will compare, most likely somewhere in the middle. This past college football season, however, has already proven that it’s one of the most interesting and turbulent draft classes when it comes to prognosticating who will be the top QBs.
Complete Overhaul
Let’s look at the popular names at the start of the season as far as NFL draft potential:
Arch Manning (Texas)
Drew Allar (Penn State)
Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)
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Cade Klubnik (Clemson)
By the end of the season, these three names topped the list:
Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)
Dante Moore (Oregon)
Ty Simpson (Alabama)
I can’t recall there ever being such a drastic change. Every name on the preseason list replaced by a completely new set of names. That’s just incredible. And the twists and turns continue. Most recently, Arkansas QB Taylen Green has been a name mentioned as a potential first round pick.
My QB Watchlist
So now I am going to venture onto something that probably lacks all conventional wisdom, jump into the fray and give my prognostications post-Senior Bowl. With Manning returning to Texas and Moore opting to return to Oregon for another year, I believe these are the four QBs to keep an eye on over the next 365 days, from the April draft through the end of their rookie seasons.
Mendoza
This one is a no-brainer. He is the clear-cut top overall pick. Unless something crazy happens, he’ll be wearing the silver and black for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026. One of the main reasons Indiana won the national championship was that he kept improving from game to game.
Allar
My Penn State ties might make me slightly biased here but (injury aside) I really think he was constrained throughout his college career. If he finds the right situation and QB whisperer, I think he’ll be an all-pro caliber QB.
Nussmeier
He’s also returning from injury and had a great showing at the Senior Bowl both throughout practices and in-game. Recent history has also favored LSU QBs.
Green
He has a lot of upside and had an impressive week at the Senior Bowl. His rise up draft boards seems similar to Indiana’s rise in the Big Ten, fast and furious.