Ten quarterbacks were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, despite a perceived shortage of franchise passers. The article ranks these rookie quarterbacks based on their fit with their new teams.
Key points
Ten quarterbacks were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The article ranks these quarterbacks by fit with their new teams.
Fernando Mendoza was picked by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sean McVay expects more franchise quarterbacks than anticipated.
The 2027 NFL Draft is expected to feature many high-grade passers.
Yet all told, despite the perceived deficit of high-grade passers on the board this year – and with a bumper crop seemingly forming ahead of the highly anticipated 2027 draft – 10 signal-callers ultimately heard their names called prior to this draft’s conclusion on the evening of April 25.
How well do this year’s rookie quarterbacks ultimately dovetail with their new employers? Let’s rank all 10 by fit, from best to worst:
2026: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana - Las Vegas Raiders
Whether or not he is actually the best player in this draft is immaterial. Whether or not his potential maxes out at a Matt Ryan-adjacent ceiling – and, hey, Matty Ice was a league MVP – is immaterial. Mendoza may not be John Elway or Peyton Manning, but the position he plays rendered him the presumptive top pick of this draft from the moment the calendar flipped to 2026. And the Silver and Black have been desperate for stability behind center since the 2022 organizational decision to pull the plug on Derek Carr – and even he never managed to notch the playoff victory Raider Nation has awaited for more than 23 years. Mendoza’s ability and demeanor – un-Raider-y as he is compared to, say, Kenny Stabler – seem just about optimal as GM John Spytek continues to rebuild this operation around him. And having veteran Kirk Cousins on hand, reasonably allowing Las Vegas to slow-track Mendoza into the QB1 role, is another plus.
USA TODAY Sports’ NFL draft guru, Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, deemed Beck a "lottery ticket." That’s probably about right, though Beck might pay off handsomely. His extensive college experience – 43 starts against mostly topflight competition – is impressive and potentially valuable. He’s not yet 18 months removed from UCL surgery, so his arm could conceivably generate more RPMs in the future – 49ers QB Brock Purdy certainly recovered nicely from a similar procedure. NFL Network chief draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah even compared Beck to former Cards QB Carson Palmer, high praise indeed. Indoor home games are ideal for most quarterbacks, so Beck should like Arizona’s football environs … though he might not enjoy facing NFC West defenses all that much. Regardless, this is a golden opportunity for him and the Cardinals, who might find they have a really good player on their hands – and can easily cut bait a year or two down the road if not.
Big guy (6-5, 228), big arm, team player. But the whole was too often much, much less than the sum of the parts at Penn State, inconsistent accuracy and anticipation among the factors hindering Allar – though his vexing stay in Happy Valley, an ankle injury ending it prematurely in 2025, also coincided with a lack of offensive weaponry to help him. New Steelers HC Mike McCarthy knows a thing or two about developing QBs, and Allar and second-year passer Will Howard could earn a lot of reps this spring for however long Aaron Rodgers stays away. It remains to be seen how close Allar can get to reaching his potential, wherever its ceiling is. But apprenticing under McCarthy and Rodgers with little expectation he’d have to play meaningful games any time soon is about as good a situation as Allar could have hoped for.
A strong arm, sub-4.4 speed, and a 6-foot-6, 227-pound frame? Green has highly uncommon physical traits for the position. He also needs to improve his accuracy while accruing more experience – so critical to the advanced decision-making he also needs to hone. Lucky for Green that he’ll be playing for first-year HC Todd Monken, who’s fresh off coaching perhaps the ultimate dual threat in Lamar Jackson. (Like Jackson, Green has been adamant he wants to play quarterback and isn't inclined to entertain a positional switch.) And who knows? If neither Shedeur Sanders nor Deshaun Watson gets an ironclad grip on the starting job this season, maybe Green gets an audition for a franchise that’s clearly weighing its options as it tries to find the right passer for a roster that’s quickly shaping up as formidable otherwise.
The Clemson prodcut also had a disappointing 2025 campaign after it once appeared he might have first-round potential in the wake of lofting 36 TD passes in 2024, when he also did a lot more damage with his legs. Yet the smallish Klubnik (6-2, 207) can distribute the ball effectively, and the Jets suddenly appear to have a lot more pop offensively in this draft’s aftermath. And with no obvious backup for stopgap QB1 Geno Smith, Klubnik could find himself getting an opportunity to play at some point this season for a team still in search of a long-term answer at field general – maybe two long-term answers, but not if Klubnik can at least assert himself as the primary backup.
Las Vegas Raiders – QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft brings franchise‑defining moments as teams make their selections from the top of the board.
See how picks 1 through 32 came off the clock as the next generation of NFL talent enters the league.
New York Jets – OLB/DE David Bailey, Texas Tech
Arizona Cardinals − RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Tennessee Titans − WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
New York Giants − LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State
Kansas City Chiefs (from Browns) − CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
Washington Commanders − LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
New Orleans Saints − WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
Cleveland Browns (from Chiefs) − OL Spencer Fano, Utah
Giants (from Cincinnati Bengals) − OL Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)
Dallas Cowboys (from Dolphins) − S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Miami Dolphins (from Cowboys) − OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) − QB Ty Simpson, Alabama
Baltimore Ravens − G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
Tampa Bay Buccaneers − DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (Fla.)
Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) − TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon
Detroit Lions − OT Blake Miller, Clemson
Minnesota Vikings − DL Caleb Banks, Florida
Carolina Panthers − OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia
Philadelphia Eagles (from Green Bay Packers via Cowboys) − WR Makai Lemon, USC
Pittsburgh Steelers − OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
Los Angeles Chargers − DE/OLB Akheem Mesidor, Miami (Fla.)
Cowboys (from Eagles) − DE Malachi Lawrence, Central Florida
The decision to pick him is hardly indefensible, particularly given league MVP Matthew Stafford, 38, is in a year-to-year mode as he decides how long to continue extending his career. Good organizations – and the Rams certainly qualify – plan for contingencies. But No. 13 for Simpson, widely regarded by almost everyone (except Dan Orlovsky) as a borderline first-rounder? In fairness to coach Sean McVay and GM Les Snead, they didn’t have sufficient draft capital this year to stick and pick at No. 13 and subsequently trade back into the bottom of Round 1 without sacrificing precious 2027 assets. Yet Simpson now headlines a Rams rookie class that may not have much to contribute to a bona fide Super Bowl contender. He also seems hardly ready to step in if Stafford gets hurt, McVay still seemingly hoping Jimmy Garoppolo, L.A.'s backup the past two years, eschews retirement and decides to re-sign.
Los Angeles Rams first-round draft pick Ty Simpson poses with his jersey during a press conference at Code Next at Hollywood Park.
Los Angeles Rams first-round draft pick Ty Simpson poses with his jersey during a press conference at Code Next at Hollywood Park.
And while Stafford might be in the Favre-ian phase of his career, this whole situation feels downright – Rodgers-ian? – given McVay’s admitted (and, frankly, bizarre) public posturing Thursday night so as not to offend Stafford by expressing too much enthusiasm for Simpson’s arrival. Is the Alabama product a good schematic and cultural fit for the Rams? Possibly, maybe probably. Could a guy who barely played in college be relegated to the bench until – 2028? 2029? – while Stafford goes full-on Rodgers to make a point that he’s got plenty of gas in the tank? Stay. Tuned.
All things are relative, yeah? Nussmeier will never displace Patrick Mahomes as a franchise QB here. Yet as Mahomes’ comeback and rehabilitation from knee surgery continue, there’s a golden opportunity for Nussmeier to get a nice chunk of bonus reps during the offseason and training camp under the watchful eye of Andy Reid. Furthermore, a franchise constantly cycling through QB2s might finally have one who can lock down the understudy spot for a while – provided Nussmeier can recover from the oblique and spinal cyst issues that ruined his 2025 season with LSU. Play in preseason the next few years, maybe perform well in a few spot starts or mop-up duty in relief of Mahomes? Then maybe Nussmeier gets spun off elsewhere for a potential QB1 opportunity.
Maybe something close to a Taysom Hill clone? Maybe even Tim Tebow-esque given Payton is a southpaw? The 6-3, 232-pounder posted a 4.56 40 at the combine and can run like a bull in the open field. Payton only started one season for FCS powerhouse North Dakota State but was frequently used at running back during his five seasons with the Bison and could be a short-yardage option in Philly – he rushed for 31 TDs at NDSU – if the team continues to move away from the Tush Push and wants to take some hard yards off RB Saquon Barkley and/or QB Jalen Hurts. With highly regarded Tanner McKee and recently acquired veteran Andy Dalton already backing up Hurts, hard to view Payton as much more than a project given his mechanical issues as a thrower and relative inexperience. Doesn’t mean he won’t have a role on this team and might develop in time – though he’ll need to make a lot of progress to ever challenge Hurts, embattled as he might be following a disappointing 2025 campaign and preparing to work with yet another offensive coordinator.
He’s unremarkable physically (6-2, 221) and was frequently hurt in Lubbock. But he’s also accurate (conference-leading 66% completion rate in 2025) and tough, dealing with a broken fibula last season yet leading the Red Raiders to their first Big 12 title anyway. Morton isn’t going to remind anyone of Drake Maye. That doesn’t mean he can’t carve out a reserve job for himself on this team or any number of other ones.
The 6-foot-2, 216-pounder split a largely pedestrian college career between Minnesota and Rutgers, barely completing more than 56% of his passes over four years. Not much of a dual threat, either, it's difficult to foresee how Kaliakmanis fits in here or anywhere beyond maybe being a third-string practice squad arm. But he’ll get a shot to displace Sam Hartman from that role even if Kaliakmanis seems like a long shot to threaten veteran QB2 Marcus Mariota, certainly in 2026.
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