Top 10 Quarterback Prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft
Last Updated: July 13, 2026 | Source: Consensus rankings from 9 outletsThe 2026 quarterback class is led by Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Julian Sayin. Here's a breakdown of the top 10 prospects at the position, with scouting reports, measurables, and projected draft range.
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1. Arch Manning — Texas
Consensus Rank: #2 overall | Projection: Top 15 pick | Measurables: 6'4", 219 lbsArch Manning is the most discussed quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft class and a player ESPN's Matt Miller called 'arguably the nation's most discussed player' after polling 20 evaluators last summer. Listed at 6'4" and 219-222 pounds, Manning entered Texas as the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the 2023 247Sports class and carries the obvious bloodlines as Archie's grandson and Peyton and Eli's nephew.
Strengths: Prototypical 6'4"/219-222 frame with a well-built lower half ESPN's Jordan Reid called 'picture-perfect' mechanics when he stays disciplined ... Quick over-the-top delivery with NFL arm strength to drive throws into tight windows ... Aggressive downfield thrower at 10.0 air yards per attempt with 15 of 61 completions of 20+ yards in 2024 Concerns: Only 12 career starts entering 2026 ... ESPN's NFL scouts say 25 is the minimum benchmark for a draft-ready QB NFL Comparison: J.J. McCarthy (B/R official comp, frame Full scouting report for Arch Manning →---
2. Dante Moore — Oregon
Consensus Rank: #5 overall | Projection: Top 15 pick | Measurables: 6'3", 206 lbsDante Moore has skyrocketed in his first full year as Oregon's starter and projects as the 2027 class headliner at quarterback after announcing he would return to Eugene rather than declare for 2026. Bleacher Report's scouting report grades him as a 2026 QB2 with legitimate franchise upside, and PFF flagged him as an early riser with an 83. 5 overall and 82.0 passing grade through his first three games.
Strengths: Natural thrower with touch, accuracy, and pro-level ball placement per Bleacher Report ... Plus arm talent with enough velocity to attack tight windows and layer throws ... Low-pulse pocket poise, difficult to speed up, trusts structure and answers in clutch moments Concerns: Arm strength is plus but not elite ... passes lose juice the further they travel downfield NFL Comparison: Jayden Daniels (pocket poise, second-reaction creation per MDD) Full scouting report for Dante Moore →---
3. Julian Sayin — Ohio State
Consensus Rank: #8 overall | Projection: Top 15 pick | Measurables: 6-1, 208 lbsJulian Sayin is the headlining quarterback of the 2027 NFL Draft class after one of the most efficient debut seasons in modern Big Ten history. A consensus five-star from Carlsbad (CA) and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class per ESPN, 247Sports, On3 and Rivals, Sayin originally signed with Alabama and enrolled early in January 2024 before transferring to Ohio State following Nick Saban's retirement.
Strengths: Led FBS in completion percentage at 77.0% in 2025 on 9.2 YPA showing accuracy was not propped up by screens ... Lightning-quick release with compact mechanics that fit timing-based NFL passing concepts ... Elite anticipation on in-breakers and seam shots that splits safeties and attacks the middle of the field Concerns: Undersized at roughly 6-1 and 208 pounds with below-average pocket height for the position ... Arm strength is good enough rather than elite which can flatten out the deep ball into hospital throws NFL Comparison: Bo Nix (undersized timing-based distributor with accuracy and processing) Full scouting report for Julian Sayin →---
4. CJ Carr — Notre Dame
Consensus Rank: #18 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6'3", 210 lbs, 4.7s 40CJ Carr is the face of the 2027 quarterback class conversation and the centerpiece of Notre Dame's offense. Football is the family business: his grandfather Lloyd Carr coached Michigan to a national title and his father Jason played quarterback for the Wolverines, and Carr plays with that pedigree stamped all over his game. A consensus four-star recruit out of Saline, Michigan, he redshirted in 2024, then won the starting job and started all 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2025.
Strengths: Compact, repeatable release with the ball coming out clean and on time ... Elite rhythm accuracy and ball placement, set a Notre Dame record 168.06 passer rating ... Advanced anticipation, throws receivers open before the break Concerns: Below-average NFL athlete who offers no threat as a runner (-15 rushing yards in 2025) ... Light 210-pound frame that NFL rushers will test as pockets collapse NFL Comparison: Trent Green (AtoZ Sports pro comparison) Full scouting report for CJ Carr →---
5. Darian Mensah — Miami
Consensus Rank: #24 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6-3, 205 lbsMensah is a cerebral, accuracy-first pocket passer who has climbed onto 2027 radars after a meteoric rise from two-star San Luis Obispo recruit to ACC starter. He redshirted at Tulane in 2023, won the job in 2024 and threw for 2,723 yards with a 22:6 TD-to-INT line at 65. 9% and a national-third 9.
Strengths: Elite accuracy and ball placement to all three levels, completing over 70% at Duke while sustaining nearly nine yards per attempt ... outstanding intermediate passer, 64% on 10-to-19-yard throws with a 10:1 TD-to-INT and 11.5 yards per attempt in that zone ... exceptional ball security with a 23:7 career TD-to-INT mark and cut his pick rate in half from Tulane to Duke Concerns: Undersized at roughly 205 pounds, raising real durability questions about absorbing NFL contact ... non-elite arm strength that PFF notes makes touch a necessity rather than a luxury NFL Comparison: Bo Nix (accuracy and processing carry a non-elite arm, system-fit precision passer) Full scouting report for Darian Mensah →---
6. Drew Mestemaker — Oklahoma State
Consensus Rank: #30 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6-4, 211 lbsMestemaker is one of the great revelations of the 2025 cycle, a former walk-on who never started a varsity game in high school and is now graded as a top-10 quarterback in the class. NFLDraftBuzz slots him as their QB7 and No. 84 overall with an 84.
Strengths: Quick, compact release that gets the ball out fast and limits sack exposure, grading near the top of the class for release speed ... Led the entire FBS with 4,379 passing yards in 2025 as a redshirt freshman ... Threw 34 touchdowns to just nine interceptions with a 168.69 passer efficiency rating Concerns: Throwing mechanics need significant work, with a low elbow and a release point that starts near the hip ... Too many passes batted down at the line for a quarterback his size NFL Comparison: Will Howard (NFLDraftBuzz top similarity at 83 percent Full scouting report for Drew Mestemaker →---
7. Trinidad Chambliss — Ole Miss
Consensus Rank: #54 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6'0", 200 lbsChambliss is one of the great improvisation stories in recent memory, a zero-star Division II benchwarmer who won two national titles at Ferris State and then walked into the SEC and dragged Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff semifinals. He is a dual-threat quarterback in the modern mold, a jitterbug athlete whose legs turn broken plays into first downs and whose creativity forces defenses to cover every blade of grass. As a designed runner he is a genuine weapon on QB power, counter and draw, using shifty feet and angle-seeking vision to avoid tackles rather than break them.
Strengths: Dynamic dual-threat athlete who extends plays and creates second-reaction throws by escaping the pocket ... dangerous designed runner on QB power, counter, draw and RPO with shiftiness, speed and tackle-avoiding vision ... better arm strength than his reputation, with velocity and zip to drive short and intermediate throws into tight windows Concerns: Undersized quarterback whose passes get batted at the line and who struggles to see the middle of a muddy pocket ... raw pre-snap processor who does not make his own protection checks and relies on sideline cards and coaches against pressure looks NFL Comparison: Russell Wilson (Bleacher Report pro comparison Full scouting report for Trinidad Chambliss →---
8. Brendan Sorsby — Texas Tech
Consensus Rank: #58 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6'3", 235 lbsSorsby is one of the more fascinating quarterback evaluations in the 2027 cycle, a late-blooming dual-threat with a big arm whose stock is clouded by an NCAA gambling investigation tied to alleged bets on Indiana football games in 2022. On the field the appeal is obvious. The Indiana transfer turned two strong years at Cincinnati into one of the country's better resumes, and The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner described him as a huge prospect with really good athleticism and a big-time arm who played the best ball of his career in 2025.
Strengths: Big-time arm strength with velocity and zip to fit throws into short-lived windows ... elasticity to deliver off-platform and sidearm throws from any angle ... PFF's No. 1 graded QB against pressure with the second-lowest sack rate in the nation (7 sacks on 114 pressures) Concerns: Trusts his arm too much and forces throws into crowded coverage ... tends to lock onto his first read and is unproven on full-field progressions and checkdowns NFL Comparison: Trey Lance: big-armed, athletic developmental QB whose long layoff and rawness mirror Sorsby's risk profile Full scouting report for Brendan Sorsby →---
9. LaNorris Sellers — South Carolina
Consensus Rank: #68 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'3", 242 lbsLaNorris Sellers is the most physically gifted quarterback in the 2027 class, a 6'3", 242-pound dual-threat with linebacker-frame size and 22-plus mph GPS-tracked speed. Daniel Jeremiah comped him to Daunte Culpepper with shades of young Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen, and PFF slotted him in the same archetypal prospect tier as Allen, Cam Newton, and Anthony Richardson. ESPN's Matt Miller has him as his QB1 based on traits, while Jordan Reid has him slipping to QB4 and a Day 2 grade behind Mendoza, Moore, and Simpson after a choppy 2025.
Strengths: Linebacker-build frame at 6'3" 242 with elite contact balance, led FBS in forced missed tackles and YAC from Week 9 on in 2024 ... Tracked above 22 mph on GPS, 97.5 PFF in-game athleticism score with 75 plays at 15+ mph ... 86.4 PFF passing grade under pressure with 9 big-time throws vs. just 4 turnover-worthy plays Concerns: Slow progressions, gets stuck on his first read and bails to scrambling instead of climbing to second/third option ... Bloated 3.31-second average time to throw in 2024, still 3.36 in 2025, quick-game concepts don't come naturally NFL Comparison: Daunte Culpepper (size/build/run-pass duality per Jeremiah) Full scouting report for LaNorris Sellers →---
10. Sam Leavitt — LSU
Consensus Rank: #74 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'2", 205 lbs, 4.65s 40Sam Leavitt is a dual-threat quarterback from West Linn, Oregon, who carries football bloodlines through his family tree and proved his pedigree quickly after transferring from Michigan State to Arizona State. Under coach Kenny Dillingham, he transformed from a reserve project into the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, setting an Arizona State freshman yardage record with 3,328 total yards in 2024 while piloting the Sun Devils to their first conference title since 2007 and a College Football Playoff appearance. ESPN's Luginbill noted that Leavitt completed 61.
Strengths: Elite ball security with only five turnover-worthy throws in 2024 (1.1% rate, tied third-best among 156 qualifying FBS quarterbacks) ... Play-action mastery as ESPN notes he is at his best turning his back to the defense and resetting his eyes to make precise layered throws ... Pressure conversion ability with 7.8 yards per attempt under duress cracking the national top-12 among FBS quarterbacks Concerns: Below-ideal size at 6'2" and 205 pounds creates durability and sight-line concerns at the NFL level and will require adding functional muscle mass ... Average time to throw of 3.10 seconds in 2024 trails the NFL target of 2.7-2.9 seconds, reflecting a tendency to retreat deep in the pocket rather than step up and deliver quickly NFL Comparison: Josh Allen early-career development arc (off-schedule creativity and pocket improvisation without elite wingspan) Full scouting report for Sam Leavitt →---