The likes of Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough, two players who didn’t even grade in my top 10 going into the 2025 NFL Draft, have since outperformed multiple QBs — by QB Impact scoring — who made the list since coming into the league.
Please note that these rankings are established by my pre-draft grades on each of these quarterbacks. In retrospect, there are definitely a few adjustments I’d make knowing how their NFL careers have played out.
Honorable Mentions (sorted by year and subsequently ranked in order of my big board placement from that year):
- Spencer Rattler (2024)
- Shedeur Sanders (2025)
- Jaxson Dart (2025)
- Quinn Ewers (2025)
- Tyler Shough (2025)
- Jalen Milroe (2025)
- Garrett Nussmeier (2026)
- Carson Beck (2026)
- Drew Allar (2026)
- Trinidad Chambliss (2026)
10) Ty Simpson
There are a few clear things playing against Ty Simpson. For one, it took him until his fourth season in college to become a starter. He’s only a one-year starter at Alabama, giving him a limited sample size to work off of. Plus, he doesn’t stand out as having tremendous size, arm strength, or athleticism.
Still, I think he belongs somewhere in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. My current QB3 in the class, Simpson shows impressive pocket awareness for a one-year starter, has good touch down the field, and is battle-tested against some of the best defenses in college football. We’ve seen game-manager quarterbacks drafted in Round 1 several times before. I think Simpson could be a very good one if he lands in the right system.
9) Bo Nix
Speaking of game managers, Bo Nix has shown early on what Ty Simpson’s ceiling could look like in the NFL. The No. 12 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Nix has been a great fit with Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos, propelling them to the top seed in the AFC this season.
I always thought that Nix’s physical tools were better than many gave him credit for. Comparing him to guys from his 2024 class, he never had the arm strength of a Caleb Williams, the size of a Drake Maye, or the speed of a Jayden Daniels. That said, Nix had more than enough of those traits to complement his full-field progression comfortability, accuracy, and decision-making prowess with the football.
8) Dante Moore
Compared to the first two quarterbacks on this list, I give Dante Moore the slight edge because of superior upside. He’s my QB2 in the 2026 NFL Draft, despite only having one season of good starting tape to work with, and a lot of it has to do with what he could be, more so than what he already is.
Moore has a strong arm with the elasticity to hit throws from different angles and different platforms. He’s a solid athlete for the quarterback position with good breakaway speed, and he’s shown that he can look past his first read to find the open man. I think he’s an effective point guard-type of distributor whose athleticism makes him an asset; he just needs to work on his footwork and being more consistently accurate.
READ MORE: Ravens’ 7-Round Mock Draft: Who Will Baltimore Pick With Every Pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?
7) Michael Penix Jr.
There were a handful of reasons to be concerned about Michael Penix Jr. going into the 2024 NFL Draft. He was an older prospect entering the league as a sixth-year senior. Three of those seasons got cut short due to serious injuries. His being a left-handed passer also prompted questions on whether receivers would be able to catch his passes with a different spin coming off the ball.
The Atlanta Falcons took a chance on him, though, and there were many tools to like at Washington, too. In particular, he had a strong arm with a natural sense of timing behind his throws, made good decisions in the pocket, and had underrated athleticism as a pocket-first passer. He had bouts of inconsistency and had another injury run-in in 2025, but it’s too early to pull the plug on him just yet.
6) Cam Ward
The No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward was dealt a bad hand landing with the Tennessee Titans. Granted, teams aren’t going to end up with the top pick in the NFL Draft without trading up if they don’t have a bad roster. That said, his own rookie mistakes were amplified with a lackluster supporting cast.
Ward finished the year with passer ratings above 100.0 in three of his last four games as a rookie, so there’s reason to be optimistic as he heads into his first full offseason in the league. His arm talent is some of the best of any quarterback on this class, and the displays of brilliant downfield touch have showed up in spurts for Tennessee so far.
5) J.J. McCarthy
The early returns from J.J. McCarthy haven’t necessarily been strong, and he’s aging to be my worst ranking in the top 10 to this point. He ranked 36th in QB Impact in 2025, which was his first season as the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback. He threw only 11 touchdowns in his 10 starts, ending up with 12 interceptions to close out the year.
Still, there have been flashes of what had him highly-touted in the 2024 NFL Draft. I liked his sense of timing, arm talent, athleticism, and winning pedigree coming off a national championship at Michigan. The decision-making ability hasn’t quite been there, but he’s displayed the arm, athleticism, and flashes of touch to warrant optimism through a rough year.
4) Jayden Daniels
Going off of Jayden Daniels’ rookie performance with the Washington Commanders in 2024 alone, he’s worth a high ranking on this list. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler as a rookie, leading his team to the NFC Championship Game just one year after winning the Heisman Trophy at LSU.
Of the top 10 quarterbacks over the last three NFL Draft classes, Daniels grades as the most athletic of the bunch. He’s carried on his agility, breakaway speed, composure in the pocket, and natural accuracy into the NFL. His second year with the Commanders wasn’t as good due to injuries and a drop in play, but his start was special enough to still be excited in his future.
3) Fernando Mendoza
Not only do I believe that Fernando Mendoza is the most polished quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, but I think an argument could be made that he’s the most refined QB to enter the NFL since Joe Burrow. That’s not to say he’s the best overall prospect, but his floor and ceiling are both incredibly high coming off a Heisman-winning season for Indiana this year.
Heading into the CFP National Championship Game, Mendoza has 41 passing touchdowns to just 6 interceptions this season. His natural sense of timing and anticipation at all three levels is impressive, he has an above-average arm, and he’s a smart football player who can read the field efficiently. The other two quarterbacks ahead of him have superior physical attributes, but Mendoza’s tools in between the ears are elite.
2) Drake Maye
As a result of a loaded group of quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, Drake Maye almost faded into the background when discussing the flashiest names in the class. He went No. 3 overall to the New England Patriots, and the results have been tremendous. In two seasons, he’s a two-time Pro Bowler and earned second-team All-Pro in 2025.
Maye is the prototypical NFL quarterback. He has all the physical tools you can ask for: size, arm strength, toughness, and athleticism. He’s an elite deep-ball thrower who can also hit the checkdown, and his anticipation and decision-making ability have developed significantly with the Patriots. PFSN’s First-Team All-Pro quarterback has kept his collegiate strengths strong and fixed his weaknesses in New England.
1) Caleb Williams
The 2026 NFL Draft class marks the tenth class that I’ve scouted and put formal grades on prospects. Since then, I have yet to see a collegiate quarterback who can dominate outside of structure better than Caleb Williams did at USC. He’s since become a quality starter for the Chicago Bears, leading them to an NFC North crown and a postseason comeback win in his first career playoff game.
Williams’ arm elasticity, creativity, athleticism, decision-making, and deep-ball accuracy have all come into fruition at the NFL level. His rookie year in 2024 saw some ups and downs, but he’s developed significantly with Ben Johnson as his head coach. He’s a good starting QB as it stands; if he can improve his intermediate accuracy, he has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL.
