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This time last year there was massive hype surrounding the '26 QB class. Tons of early mock drafts of Arch Manning as the #1 pick. Drew Allar had turned down likely being the 2nd QB off the board in '25 to better his stock. Cade Klubnik, LaNorris Sellers, Garrett Nussmeier, Sam Leavitt, and even Nico Iamaleava all looked like they could potentially be first rounders.

WTF happened? I suppose it's the old adage of not counting your chickens before they hatch.

Arch is going back to Texas. Sellers is going back to South Carolina after being a disappointment. Leavitt is now at LSU after being hurt most of last year. Nico is going back to UCLA after being ass last year. Klubnik was ass this year (along with most of Clemson). Allar was complete mega ass this year.

Enter Fernando MENNNNNNDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. He' undoubtedly your #1 overall pick. I think he's fine, which, in this draft makes him the #1 overall pick. He'd be QB4 in the 2024 draft. I don't think he's a win-because-of QB, but he's certainly capable enough to be a solid starter. He's Jared Goff. Prototypical height, above average arm strength, good accuracy, good processor, limited athlete, tends to shit his pants when pressured. That last part is really going to be tricky for him early on with the Raiders because their line is awful, but I think he'll develop into a perfectly cromulent middle to maybe slightly below middle tier starting QB in a few years.

It gets bleak after Mendoza. Ty Simpson from Alabama seems to be QB2. I can't do it. We have seen what QBs with only one year of starting experience in college do in the pros. Do not fall for the Trubisky in the tailpipe. And, not to Helmet Scout, but he's Mac Jones. There's no way he's not Mac Jones.

Beyond that, it's a parade of the once-hyped. Nussmeier, Allar, Carson Beck, Klubnik. Nuss has a huge helping of the fuck-it-I'm-going-deep Sexy Rexy to his game. Undersized, big arm, thinks he can make every play, can make like 1/4 of them. Will wow you one play and have you yelling at your TV the next.

Allar will be drafted because he's 6'5" 240# and has a huge arm and some GM will see him and think he can unlock the potential in him. Having seen him turtle for 3 seasons worth of big games, I just don't understand it. To be a winning QB in the NFL you have to have "it." Allar definitely doesn't.

Beck is a fat-free Mendoza. Good size, good accuracy, worse arm (never got the zip back after elbow surgery at UGA), worse decision making, even more prone to shitting his pants when pressured.

Of all of these 2nd tier misfits, the one I might take a spin on is Klubnik- and not because I really like him or believe in him, but because I think something was genuinely foul at Clemson last year. Something poisoned pretty much everyone at that program in 2025. Klubnik went from a quick decision maker with great ball placement, locker room leader type to looking completely lost out there last year. So maybe there's something to reclaim there.

Taylen Green from Arkansas is going to get overselected by someone. He's 6'6" 230# and ran a 4.36 with a 43.5" vertical. He's a special athlete. I don't think he knows where to throw the ball or why, but GMs will always take a chance on off-the-charts athletes. He might be a fun gadget player.

Last guy I'll talk about is Our Guy Luke. This would have been the perfect draft to have an unexpected rise on draft boards from a guy like Altmyer. This class is begging for QBs. I just don't think he's got the size, arm, or processing speed. He could stick as a backup.