Arch Manning Goes No. 1 To Browns, 6 QBs Taken in Field Yates' 2026 NFL Mock Draft

After what was generally considered a weak year at the position, the 2026 NFL draft is shaping up to be a quarterback bonanza.

ESPN's Field Yates led off his newest mock draft by projecting the Cleveland Browns to take Texas star Arch Manning. Five other quarterbacks came off the board:

• 1. Cleveland Browns: Arch Manning, Texas
• 2. New York Jets (via mock trade): LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
• 3. New Orleans Saints (via mock trade): Cade Klubnik, Clemson
• 9. Los Angeles Rams: Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
• 11. Indianapolis Colts: Drew Allar, Penn State
• 16. Pittsburgh Steelers: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

One wrinkle with the 2026 draft is that an obvious candidate doesn't stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Manning has the most name recognition and comes from the first family of NFL quarterbacks, but he has yet to start a full season in college. Whether he even declares for next year's draft isn't a foregone conclusion, either.

Setting Manning aside, opinions are all over the place in terms of how to order the best draft-eligible signal-callers.

Heading into the 2025 season, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is sitting in pole position in Bleacher Report's early big board. With an overall grade of 8.6, he edged out LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson's Cade Klubnik, who were graded at 8.5.

"Mendoza's skill set is well-suited to excel at the highest level. Physically, he possesses a prototypical build at 6'5" and 225 pounds," B/R NFL scout Dame Parson wrote. "Mendoza thrives working from inside the pocket but offers functionality during off-script situations. If it calls for his legs to be utilized, he can weaponize them to move the chains and keep his offense on track. Mendoza's accuracy and ball placement are his best traits. He puts the football where his receivers can make plays."

South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers is a big wild card as well. He threw for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions while running for 674 yards and seven touchdowns as a redshirt freshman.

Yates compared Sellers to Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen and said "his best moments are jaw-dropping."

Maybe Klubnik or Penn State's Drew Allar, 5-star recruits in 2022, rises to the top after making encouraging strides as juniors.

It certainly looks like there will be a wealth of quarterback depth in the 2026. As the season unfolds, a general pecking order may start to take shape.