NFL teams are underway at training camp, roster battles are in progress, and team needs for the 2026 NFL Draft are already starting to take shape.
The ink might still be drying on the 2025 NFL Draft picks that were just made, but teams are always going to be forward-thinking, and this year is no different. Considering how weak the 2025 quarterback class was, and how strong the 2026 class is expected to be, you can already tell that teams are making plans for next year and they’re willing to take what cards they’re dealt this season.
We’re going to take another crack at predicting the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft with quarterbacks galore and some new faces popping up. If your team is in need of a quarterback or offensive lineman, you’re in luck in this class. This 2026 NFL Mock Draft will not only take a stab at predicting every team's best fit, but also take a look at their potential biggest need for 2026.
2026 NFL Mock Draft: Saints take first of many QBs off the board
1. Cleveland Browns: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
Biggest need for 2026: Quarterback
The biggest need for the Cleveland Browns in the 2026 offseason is obviously going to be the quarterback position at this point. They have the most uninspiring quarterback battle in the league, even if there is some potential upside with Shedeur Sanders coming in as a fifth-round pick.
Sanders being a 5th-round pick doesn’t change the perception of him in terms of how he was evaluated by the masses as a draft prospect, but in order to be the next Dak Prescott-level Day 3 NFL Draft steal at the position, he’s going to need to get on the field quickly or the Browns are going to move on anyway.
This Cleveland roster is horrendous, and already dealing with major injuries. It’s a shocker that Myles Garrett agreed to go down with the ship, but money talks in the NFL.
2. New Orleans Saints: Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Biggest need for 2026: Quarterback
As of right now, the New Orleans Saints have been giving the primary reps at quarterback in training camp to Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler. Second-round pick Tyler Shough is going to have to not only earn his way to first-team reps at training camp, but he’s going to have to beat long odds to make it at all as a second-round quarterback.
The Saints could end up being one of the biggest sellers at the 2025 NFL trade deadline and it wouldn’t shock me if they made a big change at GM in the offseason. Kellen Moore getting a shot at a young quarterback in next year’s draft would at least give this team something to believe in, and how about the idea of bringing in a legacy?
The last time the Saints used a top pick on the quarterback position was Archie Manning back in the 70s. They can bring it full circle by picking his grandson – if he declares early.