
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
The 2026 NFL draft was anticipated to be dominated by quarterbacks, but key prospects like Arch Manning and LaNorris Sellers have opted to return to school. As a result, only Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is likely to be a first-round pick among quarterbacks.
Mentioned in this story
This was supposed to be the year of the quarterback.
The way-too-early mock drafts that dropped last spring were loaded with signal callers in the first round.
Arch Manning. LaNorris Sellers. Garrett Nussmeier. Drew Allar. And on and on.
Manning went back to school after an inconsistent season in his first year starting at Texas. Sellers returned to South Carolina to rebuild his draft stock after regressing statistically in 2025. Neither Nussmeier nor Allar had the season anyone expected.
And when the NFL draft kicks off next Thursday, April 23, there’s a good chance just one quarterback – Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza – goes in the first round.
Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. hits Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza on Jan. 19, 2026, during the College Football Playoff national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Mendoza, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, played his way to the top of the draft by leading Indiana to its first ever national title. He has faced questions about his ceiling and scrutiny about his demeanor, but in a league of haves and have-nots at the quarterback position, it’s Mendoza or maybe cross your fingers and wait till next year.
“Next year we’re expecting all this [to be a really good draft],” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said in a conference call in March. “Does it actually happen? You don’t know.”
ROUND 1 PICK: Lions linked to another injured draft prospect
Arch Manning and LaNorris Sellers are returning to school to improve their draft stock after inconsistent performances in the previous season.
Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is the only quarterback projected to be selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Many top quarterback prospects, including Manning and Sellers, underperformed or chose to return to school, leading to a lack of first-round talent.
The 2026 NFL draft is scheduled to kick off on April 23, 2026.

Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
Analyst Says Cowboys May Not Trade Up in NFL Draft Despite Expectations
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill is in a dispute with FIFA over $100 travel prices for the 2026 World Cup. The disagreement centers on the financial burden placed on the state due to the event's logistics.
Boston Celtics to face Philadelphia 76ers in 2026 NBA Playoffs starting April 19.
WWE is reportedly targeting AEW's Persephone as her contract nears expiration.
Jets have second-best odds to draft QB Ty Simpson with 28 TDs
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
Manning, Sellers, Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby, Ohio State's Julian Sayin and three Michigan natives, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Notre Dame's C.J. Carr and Ole Miss’s Trinidad Chambliss, could give next year’s draft star quality at the game’s most important position. Some teams already appear to be amassing picks – the New York Jets currently have three 2027 first-rounders – to make a run at one.
For those focused on this year, there aren’t a lot of options once Mendoza is gone.
“I don't think it's obviously what we saw two years ago with that group and the upper-echelon guys and seeing six of them come off the board,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “I don't see that. But after Mendoza, Ty Simpson's one that's fascinating. If you take that small sample size of those good games early in the year, you can get excited about him.”
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson passes the ball against Florida State during the first half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.
Mendoza, a transfer from Cal, completed 72% of his passes last season for 3,535 yards and an NCAA-leading 41 touchdowns with six interceptions. He went 25-10 in his career as a starter, including a perfect 14-0 last year.
Simpson lacks Mendoza’s experience with only 15 career starts but grew up around the game as the son of Tennessee-Martin coach Jason Simpson. He completed 64.5% of his passes last season for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Simpson could go in the back half of the first-round to a quarterback-needy team such as the Miami Dolphins or Pittsburgh Steelers, or in a trade up to a team looking to secure his fifth-year option, afforded only to first-round picks.
At a minimum, he projects as an early Day 2 pick. Nussmeier, Allar, Miami’s Carson Beck and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik are among the group hoping to be the third quarterback off the board.
“I think there's intriguing guys,” Jeremiah said. “I just don't think that we have a year we’re going to see three, four, five of these guys go in the first 40 picks.”
At least three quarterbacks have gone in the top 40 of each of the past three NFL drafts, including Cam Ward (No. 1), Jaxson Dart (No. 25) and Tyler Shough (No. 40) last year, and six quarterbacks in the first 12 picks in 2024.
Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) takes the field for practice ahead the Houston Texans game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, August 23, 2025.
The Detroit Lions have not taken a quarterback in the top 40 since drafting Matthew Stafford No. 1 overall in 2009 and have taken just one quarterback – Hendon Hooker with the 68th pick in 2023 – in five drafts under general manager Brad Holmes.
The Lions have just two quarterbacks currently under contract in Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater. They’re not a threat to draft a quarterback early this year, but with seven picks on Day 3 they could take a developmental prospect later in the draft.
On the Lions roster: Jared Goff, Teddy Bridgewater.
Recent Lions draft picks at QB: 2025-None. 2024-None. 2023-Hendon Hooker (3rd round). 2022-None. 2021-None.
Dave Birkett’s top 3 QB prospects: 1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana; 2. Ty Simpson, Alabama; 3. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU.
Other players with Michigan ties: Dequan Finn, Miami of Ohio (Detroit King).
Miami RedHawks quarterback Dequan Finn (1) throws a pass during the third quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
Day 3 sleeper who could interest Lions: Taylen Green, Arkansas.
Draft scoop: Mendoza is a lock to go No. 1 overall to the Raiders while Simpson should land somewhere in the draft’s first 50 picks despite his lack of experience and inconsistent game film. I like Nussmeier more than most. He played well in 2024, battled through an oblique injury last year and grew up in the game under his father Doug, a former assistant at Michigan State.
But this might be a year to pass on drafting a quarterback altogether given the projected strength of the position (and overall draft) in 2026. Lions assistant Marcus Tuiasosopo coached quarterbacks for the American Team at the Senior Bowl, where he worked closely with Nussmeier, Illinois’ Luke Altmyer and Arkansas’ Green. If the Lions want a young backup to groom behind Goff, one of those three could be an option. Finn likely will have to go the free agent route to make the NFL after leaving Miami (Ohio) prematurely in November to prepare for the draft. He previously played for Toledo and Baylor.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2026 NFL Draft preview: Slim pickings at QB after Fernando Mendoza