Who Is the Early No. 1 QB Prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft?

It's never too early to dive into the next NFL draft's top prospects. After what seems like a down year for quarterback-needy teams in 2025, the hype and optimism have returned for the 2026 class.

The tape of these young signal-callers makes it clear the hype is well-warranted.

Let's take a look at the top 10 college quarterback prospects heading into the summer.

10. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State

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Strengths:

— Strong armed passer who can make tight window throws

— Improvisational playmaker and athlete

— Throws with good touch and accuracy

Areas to improve this season:

— Improving anticipation

— Evading pressure and resetting feet inside the pocket

— Bailing clean pockets

Analysis:

Sam Leavitt combines athletic playmaking and arm strength to be a multi-faceted issue for opposing defenses. The redshirt sophomore is frustrating for defenses to defend because of his improvisational playmaking ability. He is a good athlete with burst and acceleration to break contain when plays break down.

Leavitt's arm strength is easily identifiable when watching him work within structure. He fires off passes into tight windows with confidence and velocity. Leavitt is not a fastball pitcher, he has multiple throwing speeds in his bag. He throws with touch to float passes over underneath defenders into holes against zone coverages.

This season, Leavitt's anticipation was average. He will reach another level in the pocket if he begins to anticipate throwing lanes better. Leavitt must trust his protection better this year and play more within the confines of the offense. Too many clean pockets bailed as he sought to make a big play with his legs. A talented player with a chance to ascend to the top of the mountain with more development.

9. John Mateer, Oklahoma

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Strengths:

— High-octane arm talent

— Athleticism and off-script playmaking

— He is a weapon as a runner

Areas to improve this season:

— Protecting the football (gunslinger play style)

— Passing consistency when contained in the pocket

— Decision-making on the move will force passes into coverage

Analysis:

John Mateer transferred from Washington State to Oklahoma this offseason. As he embarks on his journey, he brings a dynamic and exciting brand of football to the Sooners program.

Mateer is a pure playmaker at the quarterback position. The redshirt junior signal caller impacts the game with his dual-threat abilities. He ran for over 800 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024. Mateer's legs are weapons by design or off the cuff as a scrambler.

You can fall in love with his arm talent, strength, and the angles he uses to deliver passes to his receivers. Mateer fits passes into tight windows with ease. His throwing motion does not require much turn or torque to drive the ball with immense velocity.

Mateer is a gunslinger, which isn't wholly negative. He takes chances and trusts his arm talent too much. Dialing back his aggressiveness as a passer will be beneficial. He must improve decision-making when flushed out of the pocket, specifically to his weak side (left). He has to continue his development as a patient thrower from the pocket when teams mush (slow) rush in an attempt to keep him caged in the pocket.

8. Taylen Green, Arkansas

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Strengths:

— Electric dual-threat playmaker with dangerous rushing ability

— Plus-level arm strength and talent

— Throws with touch to layer passes down the field

Areas to improve this season:

— Lower body mechanics in the pocket, heels click as he steps into throw

— Turnover worthy plays, he puts the ball in harm's way often

— Becoming a more consistent, accurate passer from the pocket

Analysis:

Taylen Green introduced himself to the college football world after transferring from Boise State to Arkansas.

He proved to be an electric and athletic playmaker in the SEC. Green is a weapon in the open field as a runner. He displays the lateral agility and suddenness to string together cuts to juke defenders out of his path. His rushing creativity at 6-foot-6 is rare. Green's athletic ability expands the playbook and play calling for his offensive coordinator.

Green's arm talent and strength are good. He can beat defenders to the spot on drive throws and hit his receivers between the numbers on their jerseys. On the move, he will keep his eyes down the field to make second-reaction throws. Additionally, he layers passes over defenders into the void created by the defensive coverage.

Mechanically, Green needs to improve his footwork and base in the pocket. He is heel-clicky as he attempts to climb up inside the pocket, leading to inconsistencies with his accuracy and ball placement. Green's decision-making with the football is questionable. He puts it up for grabs and into harm's way too often in his career. He must decrease this trend to paint a clearer picture on how high his floor will be.

7. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor

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Strengths:

— Accurate passer within the pocket

— Good athlete and runner when the play breaks down

— Back shoulder fade specialist

Areas to improve this season:

— Decision-making under pressure

— Being late through progressions and his trigger

— Limiting turnover-worthy plays

Analysis:

Sawyer Robertson is a fun and enticing college quarterback and a potential NFL Draft prospect.

Robertson is an accurate passer from the pocket, possessing the prototypical height and weight of an NFL quarterback. He throws an excellent back-shoulder fade on the outside. His passes are well-paced, with a touch that makes them very catchable. Robertson layers passes when needed but possesses the arm talent to drive passes when the situation requires it.

Appearances can be deceiving, and Robertson appears to be a pure pocket passer, but do not be fooled. He is a skilled athlete with the ability to accelerate and explode through the first layer of the defense into the open field. Self-creation is an underrated part of Robertson's game.

Robertson works through his progression when kept clean, but his processing must speed up. He will spend too much time waiting for his initial read to work free before working to the next read in the progression. This leads to being late with his trigger and throwing into closing windows with too much confidence in his velocity. Robertson is gifted with a good floor and even higher ceiling as an NFL draft prospect.

6. Cade Klubnik, Clemson

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Strengths:

— Dual-threat, straight-line runner

— Improved throwing with anticipation

— Good arm strength to drive the football

Areas to improve this season:

— Post-snap defensive coverage recognition

— Developing answers against pressure, playing with more poise

— Passing efficiency and effectiveness on true drop-back sets

Analysis:

As a passer, he possesses a good arm to make high-end throws from the pocket and on the move. Klubnik delivers middle-of-the-field passes with good velocity and zip. In the short and intermediate portions of the field, Klubnik can drive passes into tight windows. His ability to make throws when flushed out of the pocket has been great.

Klubnik uses his athleticism to turn nothing into something and help pull the offense out of a hole. He is a straight-line athlete with open field speed to gash defenses. Klubnik will expand the offensive playbook.

He struggles when defensive pressure gets home. If he is not able to counter with his athleticism, his decision-making remains questionable. He will put the ball in harm's way for potential turnovers. Klubnik is still learning to trust his eyes and progressions. There are moments where he is stuck on a covered receiver but does not pivot to find a wide-open receiver down the field. Klubnik's next step of development is handling post-snap defensive rotations and changes. He excels when the defense runs what they display pre-snap. When the picture changes, Klubnik struggles to process the new information quickly.

5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

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Strengths:

— NFL blend of accuracy and ball placement

— Quick, snappy release

— Sound pocket navigation to find throwing lanes

Areas to improve this season:

— Bad turnovers, prioritizing ball security

— Adding more eye manipulation to look off defenders before the throw

— Playing with better poise and decision-making when pressured

Analysis:

Garrett Nussmeier enters the 2025 college football season with a first-round projection.

Nussmeier's game is predicated on timing, accuracy, and ball placement. He throws with NFL-caliber accuracy to defeat the coverage from the pocket. Nussmeier excels at getting the football to his weapons. He plays and runs LSU's offense similar to a point guard. Nussmeier moves and navigates the pocket well to evade outside pressure and find throwing lanes.

Nussmeier is a pocket passer with a limited physical skill set. His arm talent is good but not great. Nussmeier is not a running quarterback nor threat to tuck the football and create with his legs. His improvement against pressure will be pivotal for his NFL draft stock.

He does not utilize eye manipulation to hold and move upfield defenders out of throwing lanes, and he has to work on cutting back on turnovers and turnover worthy plays. He compromises the football's safety when pressure begins to reach its landmark.

4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

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Strengths:

— Dynamic athletic playmaker, turns negatives into explosives

— Explosive arm talent, can access every quadrant of the field

— Good pocket presence and feel for the pass rush

Areas to improve this season:

— Anticipating throwing windows and trusting his arm

— Climbing in the pocket after reaching top of his drop

— Becoming more consistent as a pocket passer

Analysis:

LaNorris Sellers is the biggest X-factor in the quarterback class for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Sellers has great arm strength, which is necessary to drive throws between cover defenders. He can attack single coverage by pushing the ball down the field. Sellers is a dynamic athlete with the agility to force missed tackles in a phone booth. He turns negative plays behind or at the line of scrimmage into explosive plays down the field.

Sellers must refrain from sitting deep in the pocket on five and seven-step drops. He needs to begin climbing up inside the pocket. This leads to vulnerability against outside pressure and blindside rushers. Sellers will need to display better anticipation on throws and trust in his arm talent. He flashed accuracy and ball placement from the pocket last season, but in 2025, Sellers needs to take the next step forward from the pocket.

3. Drew Allar, Penn State

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Strengths:

— Outstanding arm strength

— Prototypical build and frame

— Accurate deep passer

Areas to improve this season:

— Becoming a consistent anticipatory thrower

— Improving his lower body mechanics

— Making better decisions and taking calculated risks

Analysis:

Drew Allar possesses arguably the best arm in the draft. There is no throw on the field that he cannot hit. Allar delivers passes with optimal velocity to their receivers. He is a fearless passer and trusts his arm strength. He can rip throws and place them where he desires. Allar throws the ball downfield accurately and with above-average touch/arc.

Allar is a physically gifted passer with a prototypical build/frame. He can stand tall in the pocket and see over the offensive line. Allar is not a sitting duck in the pocket; he is a functional athlete and a willing runner who picks up first downs.

Anticipation is arguably the most significant area for improvement for Allar in 2025. He throws late and trusts that his arm is enough to power the ball into the window. Allar does not consistently engage his lower body in these throws. This negatively impacts his accuracy, leading to turnover-worthy plays.

2. Arch Manning, Texas

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Strengths:

— Good arm talent with requisite velocity

— Throws with good accuracy at every level

— Plus-level athlete and runner of the football

Areas to improve this season:

— Inexperienced player under 100 total pass attempts in career

— Post snap recognition

— Holding onto the football in the pocket

Analysis:

Arch Manning is the most anticipated player to watch in 2025. Despite the famous last name, he flashed NFL potential and skills during his in game reps last season.

Manning displays good arm talent to distribute the ball to his receivers quickly. He works well off RPO actions and reads second-level defenders effectively before driving the slant and glance routes. Manning is accurate at every level of the defense and field. He showcased good anticipation for an inexperienced player. Manning throws the ball with pace and touch for explosive plays down the field.

Manning differs from his uncles, Eli and Peyton, due to his athleticism. He is a running threat out of the backfield. Manning's athleticism aids in creating when protection breaks down. He puts pressure on opposing defenses because of the threat of his legs making big plays down the field.

Inexperience is the first thing he needs to improve. He has not thrown 100 passes in his career. Despite the positives on film, the small sample size leaves plenty of questions. The level of competition he faced during his starts last season was not a great gauge for future success. As the starter this season, he will face the entire gauntlet for Texas' schedule. As a result of limited playing time, his post-snap recognition needs to improve. He also has to decrease the time he holds the football inside the pocket.

1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

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Strengths:

— Toughness in the pocket, stands tall and delivers

— Accuracy at three levels of the field/defense

— Anticipatory thrower who sees windows before they open

Areas to improve this season:

— Figuring out simulated/mugged pressure fronts

— Adding eye-manipulation to his process

— Pre-snap adjustments at the line of scrimmage

Analysis:

Fernando Mendoza is a prototypical pocket passer with functional mobility to break the pass rush's containment. On tape, Mendoza anticipates throwing lanes similar to an NFL quarterback. He anticipates the window opening before it opens. He throws to spots off his anticipation and meets his receiver with the football.

Mendoza's accuracy is one of his best traits. He puts the football where his receivers can make plays on it. His ball placement leads receivers and allows them to gain yards after the catch. Post-snap, he plays the game well mentally and sees things quickly.

Simulated pressures and mugged fronts have confused Mendoza. He will benefit from improving his ability to identify potential extra defenders being sent. Mendoza's pre-snap adjustments must improve, sliding protection in the right direction and help his offensive line. Adding eye manipulation to hold defenders in place is important to Mendoza's development in Indiana's offense this season. This will lead to bigger throwing lanes and moving defenders out of them.