The 2026 NFL Draft is still a long way off, but the 2025 college football season is knocking at the door. Competition for 1st-round status is already well underway, and even though Summer has literally just begun, football is nearly in the air.
The latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft is fired up and ready to go with the latest College Football video game set to release on July 10 and plenty of prospects coming into focus. As always, these mock drafts are more of an exercise to find out what experts think of players around the country right now and which players currently have some first-round hype.
Expect those opinions to change drastically over the course of the next six months.
Not only that, but we're getting an early look at some potential needs for NFL teams around the league. Who will be riding the quarterback carousel in 2026? Which teams are going to find those missing pieces to their championship hopes?
2026 NFL Mock Draft: QBs load up latest 1st round predictions
1. New Orleans Saints: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
We could put together a handful of different 2026 NFL mock draft projections right now and justify a variety of players in this spot. Ultimately, the one name that seems to be gaining the most consistent #1 overall pick steam right now is Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, who is simultaneously in line for the unofficial “most underrated” quarterback award. He’s got the arm talent and athleticism teams love, but his ability to put the ball in the end zone while limiting turnovers will endear him to just about any head coach.
Key X-factor for this season: Can Tyler Shough potentially develop into a franchise quarterback for this team? The Saints have a lot of veteran talent, but if the QB position struggles (as expected), they'll be trade deadline sellers.
2. Cleveland Browns: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
The Cleveland Browns are once again in a disastrous situation at the quarterback position, hoping for literally any sort of spark from a 40-year-old Joe Flacco or a former 1st-round bust in Kenny Pickett. The Browns don’t have the offensive line to help a quarterback like those guys truly succeed in 2025, so you figure they are going to be somewhere in the top three picks next year, depending on how many games they accidentally win (or don’t). I think we’re going to see the Browns go after a QB prospect with more time on task than strictly physical upside or talent.
Key X-factor for this season: Finding foundational pieces on the roster outside of QB and Myles Garrett. What do the Browns have to build around right now? That's a major question mark for this team, which has issues all over the place.