Arch Manning will live up to the hype.
That is our educated guess heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. Manning – who waited two seasons to be the starter at Texas – will have the chance to follow the high standard set by Peyton and Eli. Peyton Manning was the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. Eli Manning was the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Will Arch make that rise in Year 1?
Manning also could lead a trend with the top 10 quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft class. The top five QBs in our rankings all stayed with their original school. Penn State's Drew Allar – who is No. 2 in our rankings – returned for his senior year with the Nittany Lions. Is it cool to stay with your school again? Granted, the other five QBs on this list transferred once.
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Every QB class is different – and we had Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward in our top five last year, but we did miss Jaxson Dart in our top 10. Who will be the sleeper quarterback in this year's draft? Hint: We kind of like No. 7.
Sporting News breaks down the top 10 quarterbacks for 2026.
MORE: QB-only mock draft for 2025
Top 10 QBs in 2026 NFL Draft
1. Arch Manning, Texas
Manning (6-4, 225) has a create-a-player build, and the patience to sit behind Quinn Ewers the last two seasons should be rewarded at Texas. Manning displayed a great touch on deep passes last season – which according to Pro Football Focus included a 42.1% completion rate with four TDs and one interception on passes of 20 yards or more. He also had 108 rushing yards and four TDs with mobility that more-closely resembled his grandfather Archie – who was the No. 2 pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. There is a blend of athleticism and star power – albeit unproven – that translates to franchise quarterback at the next level. One thing to keep in mind, however. Peyton played four seasons at Tennessee. Eli played five at Ole Miss. There is always the chance Arch returns for his senior season at Texas. We would not be surprised. Texas opens with Ohio State. If the Longhorns win, then there is no telling how far the hype with Manning will go in 2025.
MORE: Composite Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2025
2. Drew Allar, Penn State
Allar (6-5, 235) will be a polarizing first-round prospect heading into 2026, and some of that hinges on his final season with the Nittany Lions. He has 53 TDs and 10 interceptions in his three seasons with Penn State. He improved in the intermediate and deep passing game last year. He does not commit too many turnovers under pressure, and he had a 69.2% completion percentage against the blitz. Allar has taken criticism for his play against top-tier college opponents, and the five games where he had a 60% completion or less last season were Ohio State, Oregon and the three playoff games. Allar also will have to prove all that without All-American tight end Tyler Warren. Penn State has not had a quarterback drafted in the first round since Kerry Collins was selected with the No. 5 pick in 1995.
3. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Sellers (6-3, 242) is among the Heisman Trophy sleepers for 2025. He finished with 2,534 yards, 18 TDs and seven interceptions with 674 rushing yards and seven TDs in his first season as a starter. He was outstanding in the play-action scheme with a 71.6% completion percentage, 10 TDs and no interceptions, but there will be questions about how effective he can be as a pure drop-back passer. He played well against Alabama and Illinois – games in which he was limited to an average of 19 rushing yards. This is an upside projection that believes Sellers takes the next step in his second year as a starter with the Gamecocks. He would join Spencer Rattler as the second South Carolina quarterback drafted in three seasons.
4. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Klubnik (6-2, 210) is the other quarterback in the Palmetto State that will generate more than debate with Sellers throughout the draft process. He is a third-year starter for the Tigers, and he had 3,639 yards, 36 TDs and six interceptions for the Tigers last season. He is thriving under offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. Klubnik had nine games with at least three TD passes last season, and he closed the season with strong performances in the ACC championship game against SMU and in the CFP against Texas. Klubnik, however, struggled in losses to Georgia and South Carolina. He had 30 TD passes with a clean pocket last season –and he will need to separate from the next two quarterbacks on this list. Klubnik has lived up to this five-star billing within the program. Is that enough to be a first-round pick?
5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Nussmeier (6-2, 200) is a fifth-year senior who was a high-volume passer for the Tigers in 2024. He led the SEC in completions (337) and passing attempts (525). He finished with 4,052 yards, 29 TDs and 12 interceptions. There was a learning curve. He had four games with multiple interceptions. Yet Nussmeier closed the season strong with a 72.5% completion percentage, 307.3 yards per game and seven TDs and one interception in LSU's last three games. Nussmeier does not offer much in the running game and threw 11 interceptions with non-play action passes. He will need to improve that decision-making in his final season with the Tigers – but he is a solid Day 2 pick with room to move up.
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6. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Leavitt (6-2, 200) led the Sun Devils to a Big 12 championship run and a College Football Playoff berth, and he displays some next-level attributes. Leavitt passed for 2,885 yards, 24 TDs and six interceptions. He had a 54.7% completion percentage on throws between 10-19 yards, according to PFF, which needs work. Leavitt, however, was consistent with or without play-action, and that was with Cam Skattebo in the backfield. Leavitt has excellent mobility with 443 rushing yards and five TDs. That ability to extend plays is always appreciated in the NFL, especially if it comes without sacks and turnovers. Leavitt is a safe Day 2 pick with upside, especially if he proves it again without Skattebo in the backfield.
7. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Mateer (6-1, 219) is our favorite sleeper on this draft board – one that could move up if he builds on a breakout season with Washington State. He passed for 3,139 yards, 29 TDs and seven interceptions and added 826 rushing yards and 15 TDs – but it went largely unnoticed in the two-team Pac-12. Mateer transferred to Oklahoma – where he should be comfortable with offensive Ben Arbuckle – who had the same position at Washington State the last two seasons. That continuity will help, and Mateer could make a statement in an early-season game against Michigan on Sept. 6. Six of Mateer's seven interceptions last season were on passes of 20 yards or more. That will need to improve. Still, he has the same frame as former Oklahoma star Baker Mayfield. He could be the quarterback who rises to first-round pick.
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8. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
Iamaleava (6-6, 215) will arguably be under the most pressure of any FBS quarterback this season after transferring from Tennessee. A NIL dispute led to Iamaleava leaving the program one day before the spring game. What happened? He will have to answer those questions at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Iamaleava does have a five-star pedigree. He passed for 2,616 yards, 18 TDs and five interceptions. He was 16 of 58 (32%) on passes of 20 yards or more last season – so there will be questions about his accuracy in the vertical passing game. Will he elevate UCLA – which finished 5-7 under DeShaun Foster last season – into a winning team in the Big Ten?
BENDER: Sorting through lessons learned in Nico Iamaleava's ugly transfer
9. Carson Beck, Miami, Fla.
Beck (6-4, 220) was ranked No. 3 on this list last season. So, what did we miss? Beck struggled without Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey last season, suffered a UCL injury before the College Football Playoff and transferred to Miami – where he will have one more season to prove that draft-day value. Beck struggled in the intermediate passing game last season. According to PFF, Beck was 62 of 107 (57.9%) for 1,116 yards, six TDs and eight INTs. He still threw the deep well, however, and he is 24-3 as a starter. Cam Ward showed what one prolific season at Miami can do for draft-day value.
10. Dante Moore, Oregon
Moore (6-3, 210) waited a year behind Dillon Gabriel for a chance to start at Oregon, and we are going to trust that patience leads to a breakout season with Dan Lanning at Oregon. Moore was 7 of 8 (87.5%) in limited action last season. He played in nine games as a freshman at UCLA and struggled with turnovers and accuracy in the short passing game. Will that change with offensive coordinator Will Stein? We're betting on it, and the former five-star recruit might consider jumping to the NFL after one year as a starter.