NFL Draft 2026 Projections for Hottest Prospects After Updated Selection Order

The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets will most likely be in the market for quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL draft.

The Geno Smith and Justin Fields signings did not work out for either team, which means both sides are back at square one when it comes to finding a signal-caller.

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore are the quarterbacks most experts believe will go first and second in April.

Mendoza experienced a meteoric rise over the last year with undefeated Indiana, while Moore impressed for most of Oregon's run to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

You can never rule out total shock, because well this is the Raiders and Jets we're talking about, but for now it appears the pair of AFC squads will add quarterbacks through the draft.

Fernando Mendoza

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Fernando Mendoza is the older of the top two quarterbacks prospects.

Mendoza joined Indiana after two seasons at Cal. He threw for 3,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, but he only received a ton of attention for his accomplishment at Indiana, mostly because of the Hoosiers' undefeated season.

The Heisman Trophy winner played better as the season went on and he delivered in every crucial moment the Hoosiers have faced so far this season.

Bleacher Report's NFL scouting department ranked Mendoza as the No. 4 overall prospect. He is almost guaranteed to go first and second in April because of the needs in both Las Vegas and New York.

The Raiders have to decide whether they want a more polished quarterback in Mendoza, or if they want to develop Moore a bit more based on what they saw at Oregon.

That decision will be made by the new coaching staff, so it's hard to guess right now what the call will be.

Projection: No. 1 to Las Vegas

Dante Moore

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Dante Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns in his second full season as a starter in college football.

Moore had a year in between his starting roles because he sat behind Dillon Gabriel last season at Oregon following a transfer from UCLA.

Moore has more potential to grow as a quarterback in comparison to Mendoza, a three-year starter in college.

Whichever new coaches land in Las Vegas could view Moore as the better prospect over the Heisman Trophy winner and CFB Playoff finalist at Indiana.

If Mendoza lands with the Raiders, the Jets should be all over Moore to kickstart yet another rebuild.

If, for some reason, Moore gets past the Raiders and Jets, the Arizona Cardinals should take a serious look at the Oregon signal-caller as a Kyler Murray replacement.

Projection: No. 2 to New York Jets