2026 Nfl Mock Draft Qbs Drop Out Of Top Three Picks Usa Today

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 15, 2025, 9:46 PM

2026 nfl mock draft qbs drop out of top three picks usa today

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. There's a misconception floating around about the 2026 NFL Draft. Before this college season kicked off, Texas' Arch Manning, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier were widely viewed as the top eligible quarterback prospects. Those three haven't quite met the early expectations, which has some people jumping to the conclusion that this is a "weak" QB class. In reality, the rise of Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (my QB1 back in May), Alabama's Ty Simpson and Oregon's Dante Moore has reshaped the board. All three still have remaining eligibility and could theoretically return to school in 2026, but in today's thought exercise, they come off the board quickly -- just not at No.

1 overall. Four teams enter the first round with multiple picks, while just as many have none. The Browns and Rams dealt away theirs in separate draft-day moves a year ago, and the Jets and Cowboys moved on from Quinnen Williams and Micah Parsons, respectively. To set the stage, here are the current odds to be the No. 1 overall pick (via FanDuel Sportsbook). Reminder: This is the current NFL draft order after Week 10 (via Tankathon).

The 2026 NFL Draft is still quite a way away, but we've got another mock draft with quarterbacks dominating the top picks. The teams that have missed out on a QB in recent NFL Drafts may have a legitimate chance to correct that in the 2026 NFL Draft. There could be another five or six first-round quarterbacks that come off the board. This could be similar to 2024, where six passers went in the first 12 picks. Fortunately, momentum is building for another strong class. Well, we've still got a long way until we hit the 2026 NFL Draft, but we can still take a crack at it and try to predict the top landing spots.

Arch Manning could absolutely stay in school another year if a team like the Cleveland Browns have the first overall pick. The NIL money is truly getting out of hand, but we'll bank on him declaring, as he heads to the Browns with the first overall pick. The New Orleans Saints could certainly be bad enough for the first overall pick, but they miss out on that and secure the no. 2 pick. With the team just drafting Tyler Shough, you may think it would be overkill for them to take a QB this high, but LaNorris Sellers might have the highest ceiling of any QB in... There's a misconception floating around about the 2026 NFL Draft.

Before this college season kicked off, Texas' Arch Manning, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier were widely viewed as the top eligible quarterback prospects. Those three haven't quite met the early expectations, which has some people jumping to the conclusion that this is a "weak" QB class. In reality, the rise of Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (my QB1 back in May), Alabama's Ty Simpson and Oregon's Dante Moore has reshaped the board. All three still have remaining eligibility and could theoretically return to school in 2026, but in today's thought exercise, they come off the board quickly -- just not at No. 1 overall. Four teams enter the first round with multiple picks, while just as many have none.

The Browns and Rams dealt away theirs in separate draft-day moves a year ago, and the Jets and Cowboys moved on from Quinnen Williams and Micah Parsons, respectively. To set the stage, here are the current odds to be the No. 1 overall pick (via FanDuel Sportsbook). Reminder: This is the current NFL draft order after Week 10 (via Tankathon). While the 2026 NFL Draft is still months away, it’s already shaping up to be exciting. With a potentially stacked quarterback class and plenty of depth at other positions, there will be no talent shortage entering the league next season.

With that in mind, here’s a way-too-early three-round mock to prepare you before football officially returns. The Cleveland Browns have six quarterbacks on their roster, and none are viable starting options in the NFL. If they end up selecting No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, it likely means that Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders didn’t prove themselves in their rookie seasons. Was asked recently why I’m so high on Cade Klubnik. He was phenomenal throughout 2024, but this playoff game against Texas was the icing on the cake.

Everyone knows that quarterbacks will drive the 2026 NFL Draft — they do every year — but perhaps the biggest question yet to be answered is just who among the signal-callers will be available. Underclassmen like Oregon’s Dante Moore, Alabama’s Ty Simpson, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and Texas’ Arch Manning flash first-round traits in nearly every game, but their inexperience is just as obvious. Given their relative rawness, as well as the guaranteed millions they’ll make in NIL revenue, no one should be surprised if any — or all — of them opt to return to college. There is plenty of top-tier talent among senior signal-callers, but the strength of this class is on defense. With the NFL’s Nov. 4 trade deadline looming, some aggressive general managers won’t wait until spring to address their club’s biggest needs.

For those who do, these are the prospects (and team fits) headed for the first round on April 23. Midway through his 23rd season at the helm, Mickey Loomis is the longest-tenured general manager in the NFL. In all that time, last year’s selection of Tyler Shough at No. 40 overall was the earliest the Saints have drafted a quarterback. Shough was hand-picked by rookie head coach Kellen Moore and will be given every opportunity the rest of this season to justify the selection. Bain isn’t a dominant prospect in the mold of Myles Garrett or Julius Peppers, but he’s physical, passionate and productive and would add juice to an aging defense.

Fernando Mendoza threw for 87 yards and the game-winning TD on Indiana's final drive Saturday. Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images As always, the NFL has QB-needy teams and QB-desperate teams. And, yes, there is a difference. We’ll start with those franchises that figure to be desperate heading into the offseason, as they’re more likely to use an early draft pick on a quarterback. Teams we’d consider on that list: New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and, possibly, the New Orleans Saints (depending on how the rest of this season goes for Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler) or Miami...

On the “needy” list: Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams and, maybe, Arizona Cardinals. All four of those teams currently have No. 1 quarterbacks, but their long-term outlooks are cloudy. Thanks in part to their trade-deadline work, the Jets have more flexibility than any other team in the league. With five first-round picks over the next two years, New York could wait to address its QB problem until 2027. Or, the franchise could pursue an established veteran via trade.

The Browns, Rams and Cowboys (who shouldn’t need a new quarterback anytime soon) also have multiple first-round picks in ’26. The NFL has passed the halfway point of the season, now entering Week 10. With that, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates have come together to conduct their first live, joint mock going into the 2026 NFL Draft. Kiper and Yates went through that process on ‘First Draft’ on Wednesday, with the mock hosted by Mike Greenberg. With a projected order, the two draft experts alternated picks with Yates making the odd-numbered selections while Kiper made the even ones.

Here were the results of that draft completed by Kiper and Yates: The Saints selected a quarterback just a year ago in the second round in Tyler Shough, and also still have another quarterback they’ve drafted in Spencer Rattler. However, Yates had New Orleans going with another one with the No. 1 pick in 2026, choosing Mendoza, who is having a career-best season at IU with 72.3% completion for 236 passing yards per game, 25 touchdowns, and only four picks, at first overall. “I have some conviction on this pick being a quarterback. My top-graded quarterback, so far, at this juncture of the college football season, remains Fernando Mendoza, quarterback from the University of Indiana,” Yates said.

“We have talked at length about the skill set that he brings to the table – superior accuracy, excellent arm strength, has some mobility as well…A quarterback race that I think was three players,... Fernando Mendoza emerges While the 2026 NFL draft is over seven months away, it’s never too early to look at what it may look like — especially after Week 1 of the college football season, which provided... There are still 11 more regular-season games to be played and an entire postseason, which heavily impacted the draft stock of several players last season. This means there will be a lot of moving pieces in the coming weeks and months. Players will move up and down, including some who will decide to come back for another year and presumably enter the 2027 draft.

It’s also worth noting that this combines future projections with the scenario of the draft happening today. Without further ado, let’s reveal our latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, complete with full analysis for every selection in the first three rounds. LaNorris Sellers may not be the most polished passer in this quarterback group, but he’s undoubtedly the player with the highest ceiling. He displayed a peak of his top-tier talent against the Virginia Tech Hokies in Week 1, as he escaped the pocket and skirted up the sidelines, either juking out or barreling through defenders for... LANORRIS. SELLERS.

2026 Nfl Mock Draft Qbs Drop Out Of Top Three Picks Usa Today

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