Mel Kiper Jr. Predicts Arch Manning, Allar, Sellers as 2026 No. 1 Pick Candidates

The 2025 NFL season is right around the corner, but teams are surely already planning for the 2026 draft.

And they may have an abundance of talented quarterbacks to choose from come April.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted Friday that six quarterbacks will be drafted in the first round. He also listed Texas' Arch Manning, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and Penn State's Drew Allar as the three players who will be in contention to go No. 1 overall.

Other potential first-round quarterbacks he mentioned were Clemson's Cade Klubnik, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, Arizona State's Sam Leavitt, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and UCLA's Nico Iamaleava.

All eyes will be on Manning for a number of reasons this season, as he is the quarterback of the No. 1 team in the country and the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning. If he performs well, he will surely be in line to be the No. 1 pick.

That is, if he decides to leave Texas.

His grandfather, Archie Manning, told Texas Monthly he will return to the Longhorns in 2026. However, Arch told reporters, "I don't know where he got that from. He texted me to apologize about that. I'm really just taking it day by day right now."

B/R's NFL Scouting Department projected Manning as the No. 1 pick in its mock draft this month, with Sellers checking in at No. 8 and Allar at No. 19. However, Kiper predicted Manning will return to school for the 2026 campaign.

If that is the case, Allar and Sellers each have a golden opportunity to cement themselves as the potential No. 1 pick with impressive seasons.

The 2025 campaign feels like it is national title or bust for Allar's Nittany Lions, and delivering on those expectations would surely stand out to NFL talent evaluators. And South Carolina is looking to take the next step as a College Football Playoff team after just missing out on the 12-team field last season.

All three quarterbacks will be under the spotlight throughout the season, and they could be seen as the faces of different NFL franchises come this time next year.