The impact of NIL on the NFL Draft has ramped up a bit more in each year of its existence, and no position has felt it more than quarterback.
In today’s world, it’s not a question of whether an underclassman quarterback with a Day 2 draft grade will make more money by staying in school, it’s how much more. Look no further than Ole Miss star Trinidad Chambliss, who continues to fight for another year in school.
So even though the 2026 quarterback class is relatively short on depth once again, it’s important to note that this might become the norm. There is little incentive for a highly talented passer to leave school now before he’s truly ready.
What’s that mean for the top of the ’26 class? Here are scouting reports on the top three quarterbacks on Dane Brugler’s most recent draft board.
QB1: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Size: 6 feet 5 inches, 225 pounds | Age: 22
Strengths
To steal a thought from Dane: Fernando Mendoza’s best NFL comp is Detroit Lions star and former No. 1 pick Jared Goff.
Goff has better arm talent, but Mendoza is a better athlete. Both players are fearless between the numbers, throw with great anticipation and have little issue layering shots between levels. A big, sturdy quarterback, Mendoza was one of the most accurate passers in college football over the last two seasons and was downright surgical during Indiana’s national title run (7.9 percent off-target rate; 9.1 air yards per attempt).
Mendoza is also an outstanding thrower in terms of his courage — he has no problem stepping into a blitz to hit an open receiver.
A relentlessly positive leader, Mendoza was an effortless fit inside an experienced Indiana program and improved week to week (especially with his feet) as much as any other quarterback in the country.
Weaknesses
Mendoza shares some of Goff’s weaknesses. He’s more athletic than Goff and a faster straight-line runner (as evidenced by Indiana’s use of him in the zone-read game last season), but Mendoza is not always comfortable versus pressure and doesn’t come up with many off-platform answers. He’s a true dropback passer who is going to be at his absolute best behind a functional offensive line and a quality run game.
He also can be hesitant in the pocket when facing pressure — he’s more likely to take a sack than extend a play and can be heavily impacted by pressure over the ball.
And though he is a very accurate passer with consistent footwork, Mendoza has arm talent that is more good than great.
Bottom line: Mendoza is the rare QB prospect who is mentally and physically tough enough to handle the ups and downs that can come with starting on a bad team, while also being the centerpiece as that team grows from young to polished. He’s a top-five prospect in this class, and likely its No. 1 pick.
QB2: Ty Simpson, Alabama
Size: 6-2, 210 | Age: 23
Strengths
Despite banking almost no game experience during his first three years at Alabama, Simpson displayed the type of footwork we’d expect from a four-year starter.
A former five-star prospect, he can play with consistent, quick and balanced feet in the pocket, which helps keep him on time with the offense and process deeper into reads than most of his peers. There is no wasted movement with his process, and his quickness athletically allows him to navigate dirty pockets without panic. He’s a great climber with a natural sense of where to slide, reset and throw.
Simpson was arguably college football’s best processor through Halloween last season. The son of longtime Tennessee-Martin head coach Jason Simpson, Ty turned 4 a day before Jason was introduced as the program’s head coach in 2006 — he literally grew up around a football program.
At his best, Simpson is a more athletic version of Brock Purdy. In time, perhaps, a better comp might be Tony Romo: a confident processor with great feet and an ability to make plays off platform.
Weaknesses
The most obvious weakness here is the lack of experience, as Simpson only started 15 games (one season) in college. When the 2025 season started, he had attempted just 51 passes over three previous years.
Moreover, though Simpson was terrific with just about everything through October, his year began to unravel down the stretch. He lost confidence, rushed his process and ultimately made more mistakes in the season’s final six games than he had in the previous nine.
When Simpson loses his composure, everything about his near-flawless rhythm can fall apart. And when that happens, his performance goes with it, because Simpson’s arm talent isn’t elite enough to get him out of jams the way some others in this class can. There was a streakiness to Simpson’s play this year. Ideally, scouts would have another college season to evaluate before delivering a final report.
Bottom line: Simpson has first-round gifts, athletically and mentally, but it’s hard to say that he’s ready to lead an NFL offense next season. Still, he is a top-40 player this cycle, and one who could easily slide into the first round — perhaps even well into Round 1 — if he impresses at the combine.
QB3: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Size: 6-1, 205 | Age: 24
Strengths
A smallish quarterback with above-average arm talent and confidence to burn, Nussmeier plays with explosive hips and can create the type of off-balance torque we see from great shortstops.
From a stylistic standpoint, an NFL comp for Nussmeier might be a smaller Baker Mayfield. A very confident passer who showed great command of what the LSU offense was trying to do, Nussmeier also flashed toughness, trying to play through injuries and behind a poor offensive line last season.
Another son of a coach (Nussmeier’s father, Doug, is a longtime college and NFL assistant who’s currently the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints), Nussmeier sat behind Jayden Daniels for two seasons. He then threw for more than 4,000 yards in 2024 and could have declared for the 2025 draft, but opted to return to LSU for a fifth season.
A seasoned, intelligent player, Nussmeier is another strong processor who won’t be overwhelmed by an NFL scheme.
Weaknesses
Nussmeier’s confidence is a very sharp, double-edged sword. Some of his biggest mistakes, even as a fifth-year quarterback, were on YOLO decisions that just weren’t necessary. Many of these, in which he trusted his arm too much, led to turnovers.
It’s a good thing that Nussmeier isn’t afraid to deliver the ball over the middle into tight windows, but there were too many times in college when his risk-reward ratio was just off. He has to work to be an efficient, under-control player from wire to wire, not unlike former South Carolina and current New Orleans Saints QB Spencer Rattler.
Nussmeier is also an undersized player — he measured in at the Senior Bowl at 6 feet 1, 202 pounds with 8 6/8-inch hands. (For comparison’s sake, Nussmeier’s hands were smaller than 5-9, 198-pound Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia). Nussmeier has taken a lot of hits, although he played through an injury-riddled 2025 campaign at LSU.
Bottom line: Nussmeier’s size might be enough to disqualify him as a starter, but his football IQ, moxie and arm talent put him in the high-floor backup category. He’s a player who can steer the ship in a pinch, perhaps more. He is a top-100 prospect and likely will come off the board on Day 2.
Others to watch: Cole Payton, North Dakota State; Cade Klubnik, Clemson; Drew Allar, Penn State; Carson Beck, Miami; Luke Altmyer, Illinois; Mark Gronowski, Iowa.