The NIL era, or what has effectively become a pay-for-play model, is undeniably reshaping the NFL Draft landscape. Four of PFSN’s preseason top-10 quarterback prospects, Aidan Chiles, Eli Holstein, LaNorris Sellers, and Arch Manning, have opted to return to school in an effort to boost their draft stock further, while several other underclassmen followed suit.
As it currently stands, listed below are the 2026 NFL Draft Quarterback rankings provided by the PFSN NFL Scouting Insights Team.
10) Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Sawyer Robertson, a 6’4” signal-caller, has played 35 games and earned Baylor’s starting job early in 2024, steadily building his NFL prospect stock.
Although he’s likely a late-round prospect, he carries enough physical talent to be intriguing. He’s a smooth striker with impressive arm talent. He possesses adequate arm strength, uses great touch, and can easily layer throws and place balls over the shoulder from the opposite hash. He’s sharp in the quick game and accurate, even on off-platform throws.
9) Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Cade Klubnik was PFSN’s Ian Cummings’ top quarterback prospect in June, and for good reason. He’s an explosive talent and can absolutely tear it up. However, his 2025 campaign hasn’t lived up to the prophecy he’s been forever destined to fulfill.
The silver lining? Klubnik is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the entire draft class, having started 40 games in 49 total appearances, a trend driven by the success of pros like Bo Nix with the Broncos and Brock Purdy in San Francisco. His experience, combined with his physical skill set, alone makes him a worthy quarterback prospect.
Klubnik is an extremely twitchy playmaker and play creator. He has excellent mobility and athleticism, a high, quick release, and throws through the football, which allows him to maintain incredible ball control. There will be plenty of NFL teams willing to take a flier on Klubnik in April.
8) Taylen Green, Arkansas
Taylen Green, a towering 6’6” prospect, began his collegiate career in 2021 at Boise State, where he started 22 games. He parlayed that into his time at Arkansas, combining for 46 career starts.
Green developed into a dynamic playmaker both through the air and on the ground, rushing for over 600 yards and throwing for more than 2,700 yards in each of his two seasons at Arkansas.
He’s a smooth operator, rarely fazed by anything. His strong and long arms allow him to spray the ball all over the field, and his towering frame and long strides make him a powerful runner.
His long arms allow him to not only have an extended release point and additional control of the football in the air, but they also give him an extra half-second of holding the ball in the belly of the tailback.
This gives him a distinct advantage in the RPO game, forcing defenders to honor the run, creating perimeter rushing leverage in the ground game, or opening passing lanes.
7) Carson Beck, Miami
The once prodigal son now finds himself in a peculiar spot. Carson Beck was once favored to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and is now a wildcard entering the 2026 NFL Draft.
All of this while he has led the Miami Hurricanes on an improbable run, knocking off Texas A&M on the road and the esteemed Ohio State Buckeyes en route to the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Beck has thrown for over 3,300 yards in each of his seasons as a full-time starter. He’s got active feet, a high and tight release, excellent upper body torque, can operate in a system with rhythm and precision, and has played in a multitude of big games in his career.
MORE: 2026 NFL Draft: PFSN’s Consensus Top 10 Running Backs Include Jeremiyah Love, Jonah Coleman
However, there are many off-the-field questions that Beck brought upon himself near the end of his tenure at Georgia. Beck stated in a press conference that he doesn’t like watching football, “it’s not fun for me.” NFL teams will be wary of using premium draft capital on a signal-caller who doesn’t love and crave the game.
6) Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Garrett Nussmeier’s best is really good, which is why many once pegged him as the potential QB1 of this class. However, sustaining high-level performance proved difficult.
Being the sixth-ranked prospect at the premium position in professional sports isn’t half bad, especially considering he battled an abdominal/torso strain suffered during fall camp that kept him in and out of the lineup throughout his senior season.
When healthy, he is a precise operator. Nussmeier keeps a strong base, has active feet, generates excellent upper-body torque, and throws with a smooth touch. He’s comfortable within structure but has no problem creating on the move.
He was a game wrecker while healthy in 2024, throwing for over 4,000 yards with 29 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions.
5) Jack Strand, Minnesota State Moorhead
Arguably the most interesting and fun prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft is the mammoth of a playmaker from Minnesota State-Moorhead. Jack Strand is a towering 6’5”, 240-pound certified weapon. Turn on the highlights and enjoy.
The back-to-back Harlon Hill Trophy finalist (Division II Heisman) is a bona fide gunslinger. He’s got natural field-stretching arm strength, and boy, does he know it. The ball pops out of his hand, similar to the likes of Anthony Richardson. It’s palpable.
But he’s not just launching nukes across the field, he’s airing it out with smooth precision. Each ball is delivered accurately with ease. Balls are thrown with touch, layered, and even power-driven into windows.
Strand also gets loose with it, too. He’s more than willing to improvise and create plays out of structure; he can be involved in the design run game and has breakaway speed if he gets into the open field. It’s abundantly clear that he’s the best player on the field.
Strand being on this list may sound crazy, but if you don’t like the idea of a Matthew Stafford and Joe Flacco combination with a little bit of juice in the run game (Tyler Shough, anyone?), I can’t help you. He’d be an electric day three flier, especially in a subpar quarterback class.
4) Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Another Harlon Hill Trophy finalist joins the list in Trinidad Chambliss, who finished third in voting for the award in 2024 as the quarterback for Ferris State. After leading the Bulldogs to a national title, Chambliss leaped to the SEC, and it paid off. He impressed in fall camp and earned his opportunity following Austin Simmons’ injury against Kentucky.
Once he got in the lineup, he never came out. He operates as a cool cat, not afraid of anything. Since he took over in week two, he’s thrown for 3,660 yards while adding another 520 yards on the ground and accounting for 29 touchdowns.
He’s a true dual-threat quarterback. He operates with calm poise, works through progressions efficiently, and consistently makes smart decisions when plays break down. With him, the play is never dead unless he wants it to be.
Chambliss has exhausted his collegiate eligibility but has requested a waiver for an additional year due to a medical issue that arose early in his tenure at Ferris State. If he wins the appeal, Chambliss will return to Ole Miss. If the appeal is denied, he will undoubtedly find an opportunity to play on Sundays.
3) Ty Simpson, Alabama
Simpson is one of the least experienced quarterbacks in the 2026 draft class. Now that he has officially declared for the draft, he will formally enter the NFL with a mere 15 career starts.
Although he doesn’t have a large quantity of game experience, Simpson certainly displayed his ability in the first half of the 2025 season. He demonstrated his ability to play quickly within rhythm, poise in the pocket, especially while under pressure, and his fierce competitive spirit. He’s got a decisive strike and can absolutely thread the needle when needed.
It’s also worth noting that he has a strong pedigree and a background in football. Simpson could’ve played nearly anywhere else as a five-star recruit, but he committed to Alabama and wanted to earn the job in Tuscaloosa instead of entering the transfer portal. He put in three years of work as a backup and earned the job during fall camp in 2025.
Although he had a rough back half of the season, including a forgettable 67-yard performance in the Rose Bowl, Simpson may have shown enough to garner QB2 intrigue.
2) Dante Moore, Oregon
The redshirt sophomore is one of the most intriguing prospects in this draft class. Dante Moore will be just 20 years old on draft night, meaning he would only be 25 or 26 years old when his second NFL contract comes due, a highly advantageous timeline for any organization.
Moore is an electric dual-threat playmaker with impressive arm elasticity, upper-body strength, quick-twitch athleticism, poise, and playmaking ability out of structure. He has undeniable traits.
The redshirt sophomore only has 18 career starts (with his 19th coming in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl) and still has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining. There is a strong chance that he returns to Oregon to gain more experience, but if he declares, he’s firmly in the QB2 conversation.
1) Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
The consensus QB1 in this exercise was Fernando Mendoza, and what’s not to love? He is a stout 6’5” cold-blooded killer. He’s stone cold, and he can absolutely spin it.
Mendoza has tremendous control of the football, arm strength to throw the ball anywhere on the field, quick feet, excellent hips, poise in the pocket, is an actual rushing threat, resilient, and tough. He can make the biggest throws in the most significant moments repeatedly. He’s got the it factor.
Mendoza isn’t just a quarterback; he’s the face of the university and a program changer. He’s a dynamic leader, with a quirky moxy that has galvanized the locker room and helped turn the worst program in FBS football into a confident juggernaut that has dethroned two perennial blue bloods on the biggest stage.
Mendoza embodies what it means to be a quarterback. He’s undoubtedly QB1 in this class.
