Ranking the 18 Best QB Prospects Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft: Arch Manning Tumbles

Among the many challenges in evaluating players for the NFL Draft is that their progression is rarely a logical, consistent progression. It is more often a winding road with significant bumps along the way, especially at the quarterback position. That’s why there are literally months between the conclusion of the college football season and the annual draft.

We’ve committed to documenting the journey of the 2026 quarterback class throughout the year. There has already been significant movement in our tiers, with some of the highest-profile prospects struggling thus far to meet expectations.

Others, however, are emerging from the shadows, hoping to enjoy the same meteoric rises that helped Joe Burrow (2020), Mac Jones (2021), Kenny Pickett (2022), Bo Nix (2024) and Cam Ward (2025) ascend from middle-round candidates in September to first-round picks by spring. Here are our latest QB prospect rankings.

FIRST ROUND

1. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

At just 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Nussmeier lacks some of the eye-popping traits of the other quarterbacks on this list, and with just three touchdown passes in as many games, he certainly isn’t turning critics into believers from a statistical perspective, either. However, unlike many of the other quarterbacks on this list, Nussmeier has already been tested by quality competition this season, guiding LSU to impressive wins over Clemson, Louisiana Tech and Florida to start the year.

As one might expect of an NFL offensive coordinator’s son, Nussmeier throws with impressive rhythm and balance, showing the ability to make off-platform throws amid a collapsing pocket and completing passes requiring both velocity and touch. Quite simply, his game translates very well to pro-style offenses.

If the draft were held today, Nussmeier would be the clear-cut favorite to be the first quarterback selected – which is precisely where I had him in this still-too-early mock draft.

2. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

Despite even fewer touchdowns thrown (and against lesser competition) than Nussmeier, Sellers is a popular first-round projection in early mock drafts and it's easy to see why. At a stout 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, he already possesses the body armor necessary for the NFL and boasts arguably the strongest arm of this class. His flat-footed 75-yard toss against Old Dominion a year ago still has scouts buzzing and that, notably, was an incompletion. Just watch the trajectory and accuracy of this deep-ball touchdown in a season-opening win over Virginia Tech.

While scouts love quarterbacks who can challenge the field vertically, they are even more intrigued by dual-threats who can fight off would-be tacklers and extend the game with their legs. Sellers’ potential in this regard is also seemingly unmatched in this class.

3. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

With a sparkling 9:0 TD-to-INT ratio to start the season, Mendoza is a name that draft enthusiasts had better start becoming familiar with. He turned heads the past two seasons at California and has taken his game to a whole other level working with Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers. While the matchup this weekend against Illinois won’t generate the same sort of buzz of, say, LSU-Clemson or Texas-Ohio State from earlier this year, this is a massive game for Mendoza from a QB-evaluation perspective to show that he belongs in the first-round conversation. I have him going 25th overall in my latest mock draft and, frankly, I think that might be underselling him.

Cignetti’s offense makes things easier on quarterbacks, limiting their reads and generating a lot of space for receivers to operate. Scheme cannot explain away Mendoza’s prototypical 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame and live arm, however. Most taller quarterbacks with long limbs like Mendoza struggle with an elongated throwing motion, tipping defensive backs to the direction of the ball. Therefore, even if the long-armed passer has a strong arm, they are functionally slower in delivering the pass.

Mendoza, however, possesses a surprisingly quick release and shows both accuracy and velocity in whipping the ball to all areas of the field.

4. Carson Beck, Miami

NFL scouts love comeback stories as much as the rest of us and Beck is a perfect example of a quarterback who might have just needed a fresh start to resurrect his once-promising draft stock.

The former Georgia star has proven every bit the worthy replacement for No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward at Miami, guiding the Hurricanes to a 3-0 start with big wins over ranked opponents Notre Dame and South Florida. He is one of the few quarterbacks on this list to have fired multiple touchdown passes in every game this season, completing a whopping 79.3% of his passes. In today’s era of up-tempo, quick-passing attacks, Beck’s completion percentage might not impress you — but let’s be clear, Beck isn’t being asked to dink and dunk. He’s attacking defenses deep, leading his receivers to daylight between defenders.

Beck owns some of the most impressive throws I’ve seen on tape so far this season.

5. Drew Allar, Penn State

With just four touchdowns thrown in three games so far this season, Allar isn’t exactly taking the college football world by storm. However, Penn State has yet to be challenged this season, cruising to early blowout wins over Nevada (46-11), Florida International (34-0) and Villanova (52-6). With his prototypical blend of size and arm strength, scouts are going to be giving Allar the benefit of the doubt through the early schedule, waiting for showdowns against Oregon (Sept. 27) and especially against the reigning national champion Buckeyes in Columbus on Nov. 1.

The confidence, velocity and accuracy to complete throws like the one below have scouts eagerly anticipating those matchups.

6. Taylen Green, Arkansas

Green has all sorts of numbers powering his ascent up draft boards — including his verified 6-5 5/8, 235-pound frame, and the fact that he currently leads the FBS in total yards (1,173), touchdowns responsible for (13) and passing touchdowns (11). He certainly took advantage of some leaky coverage in early-season blowouts against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State, but even in Saturday’s road loss to Ole Miss, he showed the special traits scouts are looking to develop. The flashes of accuracy on the move are lightning bright. Just watch the ball placement on this touchdown, for example. The opponent doesn’t matter when the ball is thrown this accurately.

To be clear, the Boise State transfer remains raw as a passer, throwing the ball into coverage more often than a quarterback with 38 career starts should. However, his traits are undeniable and a team seeking a true dual-threat at the position will no doubt be intrigued.

7. Cade Klubnik, Clemson

While a certain quarterback in Texas has infamously dominated the headlines for his early-season struggles, Klubnik isn’t far behind in terms of failing to meet expectations. He has thrown for as many interceptions (three) as touchdowns to start the season with Clemson — a preseason playoff favorite — losing two of their first three games, including a 24-21 stunner last week to Georgia Tech in which their star quarterback completed just 57.7% of his passes with an ugly pick in the red zone.

While the season thus far has not gone as Klubnik and Clemson had hoped, scouts remain intrigued by his mobility and short-to-intermediate-range accuracy. There are, however, significant red flags with his game. To succeed in the NFL, quarterbacks need to be willing to step into the pocket — rather than step back to avoid it — and Klubnik has a tendency to drift backward. However, he shows impressive loft on the ball when doing so, inviting defenders to pursue him while lofting deep balls with an easily trackable trajectory for his receivers to run down. He’s also quite nimble, as he makes some of his best throws while scrambling. At his best, there are Bo Nix-like vibes to his game.

8. Arch Manning, Texas

NFL scouts who attended Manning’s road debut against Ohio State two weeks ago cautioned that we should be pumping the brakes on the 21-year-old’s projection to the NFL. Alas, even more evidence of his immaturity as a prospect was on display this past weekend, with Manning completing just 11 of 25 passes for 114 yards in a 27-10 home win against UTEP. Manning’s lineage and traits remain highly intriguing, but the pinpoint accuracy associated with his last name have yet to translate into on-field success for him and the Longhorns in 2025.

At this point, he looks very much like a quarterback with just five career starts at the college level. Too many of his throws are coming with unsettled feet and a whip of an arm motion, leading to the ball spraying inaccurately.

He does not look like a quarterback who should be considering making an early NFL jump, though if he were to do so, no one should be surprised if an NFL team gambled a middle-round selection on his perceived upside.

9. Jayden Maiava, USC10. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State11. John Mateer, Oklahoma12. Rocco Becht, Iowa State13. Behren Morton, Texas Tech

14. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt15. Luke Altmyer, Illinois16. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor17. Josh Hoover, TCU18. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA

Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. He has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 25 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Follow him on X @RobRang.

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