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2026 Nfl Draft Mock Early Projections Qb Battles Top Picks

Bonisiwe Shabane
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2026 nfl draft mock early projections qb battles top picks

NFL Week 10 action featured plenty of surprising results that shook up the projected order of the 2026 NFL Draft. The New Orleans Saints entered the weekend in place for the No. 1 pick but thoroughly beat NFC South foe Carolina to drop from the top spot. The New York Jets got win No. 2 of the Aaron Glenn era over the Cleveland Browns, dropping down the order as well. Their neighbors, the New York Giants, squandered a lead and lost to the Chicago Bears to overtake them in the top three of the draft order.

The Giants fired Brian Daboll following the loss - making it more likely they'll stay near the top of the draft order. Those results leave Tennessee at the No. 1 pick after 10 weeks of NFL games. Tennessee already has a quarterback of the future and could be the first team to draft No. 1 overall in consecutive years since fellow AFC South franchise Jacksonville did so in 2021 and 2022. They'll likely take their top non-quarterback prospect in the class.

Who that player is is up for debate but most likely a defensive player. In 2025, only two quarterbacks were selected in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft — just a year after six passers went in the first round of the 2024 showcase. The 2026 NFL Draft’s QB class could look a lot similar to the group two years prior. The potential energy is there, but the onus is on the players to reach those aspirations. From high-upside tools to breakout production, and to oft-anticipated legacy prospects, there’s an abundance of storylines surrounding the 2026 NFL Draft QB class. Arch Manning is the headliner, but even he might not have as good a case for No.

1 as Cade Klubnik, LaNorris Sellers, or Fernando Mendoza. How do they rank right now? Let’s dive in. Some way-too-early 2025 NFL Draft boards had Carson Beck ranked ahead of Cam Ward. Now, Ward is the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, and Beck has transferred to Miami to try to rebuild his stock — hoping to follow Ward’s blueprint.

After a highly efficient 2023 season, Beck was viewed as a potential early-round QB with size, a strong arm, and quality accuracy. But a rocky 2024 exposed his athletic and creative limitations and brought regression in both decision-making and ball placement. The physical prototype is still intact, but Beck is primarily a pocket passer who still needs to refine his mental game. Without dynamic creation ability to fall back on, Round 1 is a long shot for now — but a rebound in 2025 could put him back on the Day 2 radar. The NFL season is past its halfway point, as the NFL trade deadline has passed for the 2025 season. The college football season is nearing the playoffs, while the NFL playoff picture is also coming into focus.

Which means, it's starting to become clear which teams need to think about what they want to do in the 2026 draft. With a remixed order and the top prospects in flux, here's Sporting News' third set of first-round projections for what will go down next April 23 in Pittsburgh: MORE: Where Fernando Mendoza, other QBs rank in 2026 NFL Draft reset (No. 1-18 order courtesy of Tankathon; No. 19-32 from Week 9 playoff picture)

The 2025 NFL draft is already two weeks in the rearview mirror, which means there’s only about 50 more weeks until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell takes the stage in Pittsburgh for the ’26 draft. Only an entire summer for prospects to get better and a full season to prove they’ve made strides. Only an 18-week regular season for NFL teams to develop young players or identify pressing needs. Only 50 more weeks for all of this to change. But as the draft calendar flips toward 2026, here’s a way-too-early projection for how the first round could shake out April 23 of next year. The draft order was set according to BetMGM’s Super Bowl odds for each team.

If the Giants are picking No. 1, it likely means head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are gone, and their quarterback situation unfolded poorly. Would a new regime want to build around a late first-round quarterback in Jaxson Dart? That depends on how the staff views Dart, and whether Dart does enough, or anything, as a rookie to change that perception. Regardless, a fresh start seems likely, and Nussmeier has the arm strength, instincts and accuracy to be a quality starting quarterback. The Saints selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 draft, and the 25-year-old has a chance to start as a rookie.

But if New Orleans, with questions about Derek Carr’s health and future, struggles offensively this fall, Shough shouldn’t prevent the team from upgrading. Allar has the tools—size, arm talent and in-structure proficiency—to be a franchise passer. The race for the No. 1 pick is on as the NFL rolls into the second half of its season. Contenders are gearing up for their playoff run, while pretenders have at least one eye on this upcoming NFL Draft class. Every week of the season, Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine and B/R NFL Scouting Dept.'s Matt Holder will break down each team's biggest needs and highlight potential 2026 draft prospects who could fill them.

The eventual end product will be a full 2026 draft big board for every team heading into the offseason. .css-8b3r8y{margin:0;font:inherit;font-style:italic;}All grades and rankings courtesy of the B/R NFL Draft Scouting Department. .css-1582m2i{margin:0;font:inherit;font-weight:700;}Top Draft Needs For the football obsessed, the expression "It’s the most wonderful time of the year," is not so much a reflection about the holidays as it is about mock drafts. They're like Thanksgiving meals — we seemingly can’t get enough of them. So, shortly after releasing a traditional first-round mock draft, we thought it would be worthwhile to identify each team's most glaring holes as well as strong prospect fits to fill them.

With two clubs emerging as legitimate contenders for the No. 1 pick, the AFC East felt like the perfect starting point to kick off the series. Here are early projections for the entire division's selections on Days 1 and 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. First round, No. 3 overall pick: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana The Jets’ decision to trade cornerback Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams to load up on draft picks suggests that the club is willing to undergo a complete roster rebuild.

Perhaps that will allow New York to package picks to trade for a veteran quarterback, with intriguing candidates such as Kyler Murray and divisional rival Tua Tagovailoa thought to be potentially available this offseason. Should Jets general manager Darren Mougey take the more conventional approach, Mendoza’s inspirational play at Indiana could make him the first quarterback off the board this year. His dual-threat ability would make him an intriguing fit in the offense that head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand have used with incumbent starter Justin Fields this season.

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