The 2026 NFL Draft could be quite good at the top with the QB position, and this could be great news for certain teams.
Yes, it's very early, but the 2026 NFL Draft might be a great chance for certain QB-needy teams to actually get a QB they're in need of. The 2025 NFL Draft does not appear to be all that good at the position, but the 2024 NFL Draft does appear to have some franchise passers.
It's the most important position in all of sports, so of course it's going to be the center of attention. Let's crack open a 2026 NFL mock draft where a ton of quarterbacks hear their names called quite early on.
2026 NFL Mock Draft: Quarterbacks galore!
1. New Orleans Saints - Arch Manning, QB, Texas
There is no guarantee that Arch Manning even declares for the 2026 NFL Draft, but the opportunity to play for the New Orleans Saints and follow in Archie Manning's footsteps would be quite interesting. The Saints may easily cruise to the first overall pick, and this could allow head coach Kellen Moore to truly thrive with a legitimate QB prospect.
2. Indianapolis Colts - LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
LaNorris Sellers is another QB name to keep an eye out for in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Indianapolis Colts having the second overall pick with the chance to draft Sellers might be the big break that this franchise has needed ever since Andrew Luck retired.
3. Cleveland Browns - Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
Cade Klubnik is the third overall pick in this 2026 NFL mock draft, heading to the QB-needy Cleveland Browns. It's just not likely that Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel end up amounting to much in the NFL.
4. New York Jets - Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Four-straight QBs to begin this mock draft - and this might actually end up happening. With Justin Fields under center, the New York Jets aren't going to win many games. They should be in a great position to land a franchise QB prospect if that is the case, so they end up taking a chance on Fernando Mendoza from Indiana.
5. New York Giants - Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
And with the fifth overall pick, the New York Giants, yet again, take a QB in the first round, grabbing Garrett Nussmeier from LSU. Both Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are likely out of jobs if the G-Men are trending toward this high of a pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
6. Tennessee Titans - Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
Cam Ward is absolutely going to get multiple years under center for the Tennessee Titans to prove that he can be their guy for the long-term, and he's the type of prospect that might not breakout until year three, so even if the Titans do have the sixth overall pick, there is just no chance that they take Cam Ward.
Caleb Downs might be the best non-QB prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft class, so this could simply be Tennessee grabbing some key blue-chip talent.
7. Cleveland Browns (via JAX) - Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
The Browns took a QB with their first first-round pick, and now they double-down on the offensive side of the ball to grab some long-term tackle help with Kadyn Proctor from Alabama. The Browns really have to figure out a long-term plan for this side of the ball, and that might be putting it lightly.
8. Miami Dolphins - Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
In the first eight picks of this mock draft, six QBs have gone off the board. The Miami Dolphins might have to have a hard conversation with themselves if they're picking inside the top-10; is Tua Tagovailoa really a franchise quarterback? Is this someone who they can absolutely win with?
9. Las Vegas Raiders - John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
And yet again we have another QB off the board in this mock draft. John Mateer might find himself rising up the NFL Draft board in the coming college football season, and the Las Vegas Raiders are absolutely a team that needs to figure out a long-term QB situation. Geno Smith is average at best and is likely only going to be with the team for a few years at most.
10. Dallas Cowboys - Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
The Dallas Cowboys have to get a bit more stout in the middle of their defense, so taking Peter Woods at pick 10 is actually a great pick for this franchise, and believe it or not, but the Cowboys do have a good bit of success in the NFL Draft.