March 5th, 2026
This exercise demonstrates where and when the quarterbacks will be drafted this year. There were 15 players chosen, with most of them projected to be taken in the NFL Draft. These rankings are based on a variety of traits that each quarterback has and what has made them into the player they are today.
1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana, 6’5” and 236 pounds:Mendoza is the best pro-ready quarterback in the draft this year. He can read through all of his progressions. He also has great footwork, with a clean and quick release. He passes the ball with deadly precision into tight spaces. He also showcases the ability to help his receivers get open by throwing the ball with excellent placement. Overall, he can make spectacular plays happen under duress, whether that is escaping the pocket or throwing on the run using his mobility, which is a very underrated part of his game.
Draft Projection: Top 5
2. Ty Simpson, Alabama, 6’1” and 211 pounds:Simpson plays in a pro-style offense, where he goes under center at times. He can go through all of his progressions and throw completions while under pressure. His arm is not the most talented but it is above-average. The offense utilized play-action by the use of RPO plays, which exhibited his mobility, showing that he can escape pressure. He does need to understand when to run out of bounds or slide to avoid being hit though so he can get himself out of harm’s way.
Draft Projection: Late 1st Round - Middle of the 2nd Round
3. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU, 6’2” and 203 pounds:Nussmeier is the definition of a gunslinger. He has a great arm and is accurate. He also allows his receivers to adjust to the ball. He shows the ability to throw off-platform and on the run. However, his arm is not the strongest and he takes major risks. He throws the ball across his body, which some think is the cardinal sin of football. He also passes the ball into traffic a lot, and makes things more difficult for himself by leaving the pocket prematurely.
Draft Projection: Late 2nd Round - Middle of the 3rd Round
4. Drew Allar, Penn State, 6’5” and 228 pounds:Allar has one of the best arms in the entire draft. He throws with ease, including passing into the deep parts of the field. His arm is exceptional, as he can sidearm passes. He has the talent to do all of this despite not having clean footwork, which leads to accuracy issues. Although he is not very mobile, he surprisingly extends plays and improvises.
Draft Projection: Late 2nd Round - Late 3rd Round
5. Cade Klubnik, Clemson, 6’2” and 207 pounds:Klubnik has an easy time throwing the ball into the intermediate parts of the field. He can also complete passes, even with pressure in his face. Not only that, but when pressed into these situations, he lets his receivers adjust to the ball. He checks it down to a player near him when he absolutely has to. His athleticism allows him to extend plays and elude pressure.
Draft Projection: Middle of the 3rd Round - Late 4th Round
6. Carson Beck, Miami (FL), 6’5” and 233 pounds:Beck is up there in terms of being one of the most pro-ready quarterbacks in this draft. He reads through all of his progressions and completes passes into tight spaces. He also lets his receivers make a play on the ball. His arm talent is not the greatest and he has average arm strength. Because of this, he wins games for his team by being an effective passer and making the right decisions.
Draft Projection: Middle of the 3rd Round - Late 4th Round
7. Cole Payton, NDSU, 6’3” and 232 pounds:Payton has one of the most talented arms in the draft, and yet, also has superb athletic abilities that most quarterbacks do not have. He throws beautiful, accurate deep balls and also has the ability to take it the distance with great speed by using his legs. He makes accurate passes to all parts of the field. There is a problem though, but to a lesser degree, which is that he is a lefty. Due to this, it may take some time for his teammates to adjust to his throwing style. There is also a major potential issue, and it is that he played at the FCS level. It is a lower college level compared to where most of the prospects have played at. Not only that, but it is even a bigger jump when playing in the NFL. He will need help to translate his abilities to the next level.
Draft Projection: Early 4th Round - Late 4th Round
8. Behren Morton, Texas Tech, 6’2” and 221 pounds:Morton has good pocket awareness and throws the ball with satisfactory velocity to the short and intermediate parts of the field. This is due to his quick release. However, he loses velocity on deep passes. He does go through all of his progressions, permitting his receivers to track and locate the ball. He has shown an inability to stay healthy for an entire season throughout his college career. He can also put the ball in harm’s way at times.
Draft Projection: Late 4th Round - Late 5th Round
9. Taylen Green, Arkansas, 6’6” and 227 pounds:Green is an athletic specimen, being the fastest quarterback in the history of the NFL combine. He also recorded the highest vertical jump for a quarterback. He is a dangerous weapon on the ground because of these attributes. This lets him evade pressure and throw the ball to his receiver. Not only that, but he can throw the farthest passes in the entire draft. However, his fundamentals are not good, as he is one of the most inaccurate quarterbacks in this draft class. Speaking of now, he is a better runner than passer at this point in his career. He could be an excellent quarterback one day, but needs serious development first.
Draft Projection: Early 5th Round - Late 5th Round
10. Jalon Daniels, Kansas, 6’1” and 219 pounds:Daniels definitely has the ability to run and improvise with decent athleticism. His first instinct when escaping pass rushers is to take off and run. He is not very strong due to his frame though. A high level of effort is needed when driving the ball down the field, which helps him throw a good deep ball. He puts the ball where only his receiver can catch it. He can throw it on the run and off-platform.
Draft Projection: Middle of the 6th Round - Middle of the 7th Round
11. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor, 6’4” and 216 pounds:Robertson is an accurate and precise passer who stays in the pocket. He throws a good ball to all three levels of the field (even though that was not the case during throwing drills at the combine). He allows his receivers to get open and adjust to the ball. He also has a tight spiral on his throws too. Shockingly, he is somewhat mobile and evades pressure when it is required.
Draft Projection: Middle of the 6th Round - Middle of the 7th Round
12. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt, 5’10” and 207 pounds:Pavia is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in this draft who keeps proving people wrong over and over again. Most of the skepticism is because of his small stature. He throws with high effort and lets his receivers make adjustments on the ball. He also locates the ball very well. He runs when it is absolutely necessary. He is a gamer who never gives up and has been an underdog his entire college career. He needs that same mentality if he wants to succeed at the next level.
Draft Projection: Early 7th Round - Late 7th Round
13. Luke Altmyer, Illinois, 6’2” and 210 pounds:Altmyer shows decent athleticism but is average when it comes to throwing under duress. Instead, he steers clear of pass rushers, which buys him time to throw the ball. It also helps his receivers get open. In addition, he allows his receivers to adjust to the ball. He throws on the run, but his accuracy is a question mark to begin with, so he should be advised against that. Instead, he should scramble more and try to get as many yards as he can before sliding or running out of bounds.
Draft Projection: Early 7th Round - Undrafted
14. Joe Fagnano, UConn, 6’3” and 226 pounds:Fagnano had a fantastic touchdown to interception ratio this past season, as it was 28:1. He finds the easy completions, is very accurate and can throw with great anticipation. He also reads through all of his progressions. He has a very high IQ, as shown by the ratio. He can tightrope passes by whipping his arm, using all of his strength to throw it far with high velocity. He also allows his receivers to adjust to his passes, especially near the endzone. He can throw on rollouts and on the run. He needs to learn how to slide more to avoid injury though.
Draft Projection: Middle of the 7th Round - Undrafted
15. Athan Kaliakmanis, 6’3” and 212 pounds:Kaliakmanis trusts his receivers plenty to make the contested catch. He is definitely a pocket passer, and stands tall in there when facing pressure. Even though pass rushers are trying to sack him to the ground, he will drop the pass into the bucket for the receiver to come down with the catch. There is not much mobility to his game. He passes the football with more loft than velocity. He does show the potential to look through his progressions, but he does not do that very often.
Draft Projection: Undrafted