Where Ty Simpson, NFL Draft 2026 Top QBs Are Being Selected in Expert Mocks

The 2026 NFL draft is nearly upon us, and while there's plenty we don't know yet, there should be no drama at the very top. The Las Vegas Raiders are set to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick.

"Mendoza plays quarterback the right way with a high football IQ, accuracy and ball placement," Bleacher Report scout Dame Parson said as part of the B/R Scouting Department's recent three-round mock daft. "He will sit behind Kirk Cousins and learn head coach Klint Kubiak's offense before being given the keys to the franchise."

Of course, Mendoza isn't the only quarterback prospect in the 2026 class, and Las Vegas certainly isn't the only team that will be looking to add a signal-caller. At this point, though, Mendoza seems to be the only surefire first-round selection at the position.

Where might some of the other top QB prospects in the draft fall? Let's dive into some recent expert mocks and try to answer that very question.

Ty Simpson, Alabama

AP Photo/Phelan M. EbenhackYou

You'll be hard-pressed to find a mock draft that doesn't have Mendoza going to the Raiders at No. 1. However, opinions on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson are a little more mixed. While Simpson is widely considered the second-best QB prospect in the draft behind Mendoza, his destination and is draft range are complete unknowns.

The B/R Scouting Department paired Ty Simpson with the Arizona Cardinals at the top of Round 2 in its three-round mock draft. The Athletic's Dan Brugler had the Cardinals taking Simpson in the same slot.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. also mocked Simpson to Arizona, albeit after a trade to pick No. 30. The Ringer's Todd McShay mocked a similar trade that saw the Cardinals taking Simpson at No. 30.

While it may seem like Arizona is the only team interested in taking Simpson early, that's not the case, as McShay noted:

"The Jets have interest, but I don't get the sense they're willing to move up—they'll likely sit at 33 and see if he's still on the board. It's not a lock they'd take him, but he'd definitely be in play for them. That creates an opportunity for Arizona."

The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers are two other quarterback-needy teams that may have some interest in Simpson. He certainly isn't the first-round lock that Mendoza is, but the early second round might be his draft floor.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Mendoza and Simpson were the only quarterbacks taken in McShay's first-round mock and Kiper's two-round mock. To uncover QB3, we have to do a little more digging.

The B/R Scouting Department had LSU's Garrett Nussmeier as its third quarterback off the board, going in Round 3 to the Los Angeles Rams with the 93rd overall pick. Brugler also had Nussmeier going in Round 3, but to the Steelers with the 85th overall pick.

Like Brugler, NFL Media's Chad Reuter conducted a full seven-round mock draft. He also had the Steelers taking Nussmeier in Round 1, but with the 76th pick.

While Kiper's two-round mock didn't reach Nussmeier's draft range, the ESPN collaborative mock draft he was a part of earlier this month—which also involved Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, and Field Yates had Nussmeier going to the Rams in Round 3.

"Nussmeier makes a lot of sense in Los Angeles. He wasn't fully healthy in 2025, and his play suffered," Kiper wrote. "But the Rams can let him learn behind Matthew Stafford and evaluate him over the course of the year."

It certainly feels like Nussmeier is shaping up to be a late Day-2 pick. It'll be interesting to see if a team targets him a bit earlier in order to get ahead of teams like Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

Carson Beck, Miami

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Nussmeier, of course, isn't guaranteed to be the third quarterback off the board—though he is the third-ranked quarterback on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board.

Nussmeier was the third quarterback taken in Brugler's mock draft. However, Miami's Carson Beck was the third quarterback off the board in Reuter's mock and in ESPN's collaborative mock—both pairing him with the Cardinals at No. 65.

"Beck sees the field well and can get the ball out quickly and accurately, and Arizona could let him learn behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew," Kiper wrote. "I like this flier, but it also crucially wouldn't prevent the Cards from going back to the QB well next year in a deeper class."

Arizona could be a team to watch if it doesn't make a move to land Simpson earlier in the draft. However, none of this guarantees that he'll be a Day-2 selection.

The B/R Scouting Department didn't have Beck listed in its three-round mock. Brudgler had Beck coming off the board late in the fourth round, 137th overall to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Drew Allar and Taylen Green

AP Photo/Butch Dill

Arkansas QB prospect Drew Allar

While Beck and Nussmeier are certainly in the mix to be QB3, they aren't the only ones. Penn State's Drew Allar and Arkansas' Taylen Green round out the top five quarterbacks—just ahead of Beck—on the B/R Scouting Department's big board.

The Scouting Department had Allar as its QB3, landing with the Steelers at No. 76. Allar landed with the Steelers at No. 85 in the ESPN collaborative mock draft as QB4—above Nussmeier.

Brugler mocked Allar to the New York Jets at No. 103, as QB4. Reuter had him landing with the Detroit Lions at No. 128 as QB5.

Green hasn't gotten quite as much buzz as QBs like Simpson, Allar, Beck, and Nussmeier, but he's a very intriguing prospect with a tremendous amount of upside.

"Taylen Green is a raw, toolsy dual-threat quarterback with a high ceiling, thanks to his outstanding arm talent and athleticism, but he needs significant development," Dame Parson of the B/R Scouting Department wrote.

While Green might not show up on many shorter mocks, he's a name to know. Brugler mocked him to the Miami Dolphins at No. 130, making him QB5 ahead of Beck. Reuter mocked him to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 173.

As a bit of a dual-threat project, Green would make a lot of sense for the Dolphins and Ravens. Baltimore, of course, has its own dual-threat star in Lamar Jackson. Miami added a dual-threat QB in Malik Willis. Green would be a logical backup for either quarterback. It'll be interesting to see if another team views him as more than just a talented understudy.