Now that the dust has settled on the 2025 NFL Draft, some folks have already turned the page to the 2026 class.
After former Miami quarterback Cam Ward was selected No. 1 overall by the Tennessee Titans, we didn’t see another quarterback come off the board until the New York Giants traded back in for Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss with the No. 25 overall pick.
After that, quarterbacks were few and far between, as teams opted for project guys like Tyler Shough and Jalen Milroe before Shedeur Sanders was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.
It seems like this sets up the 2026 NFL Draft to be quarterback-needy.
If Texas’ Arch Manning has a good year, he’ll instantly become the hottest name to watch. But LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier has a lot of hype, as does Penn State’s Drew Allar. South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers will be consistently mentioned throughout the summer, and UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava could prove some doubters wrong with one strong season in Westwood.
That probably feels like a lot of names — especially since they all have a full season of college football ahead of them. We haven’t even seen Manning play enough college ball to know what he is yet, and there’s a chance he could return to school to chase more NIL money. Allar and Iamaleava have shown struggles against big-time programs in high-stakes games.
But while all of next year’s quarterbacks might have question marks, there will be enough teams that need a signal-caller.
Don’t let the Saints drafting Shough or the Browns drafting both Sanders and Dillon Gabriel distract you from the fact that these organizations have been wandering the quarterback desert for some time. They’d probably like to see their rookies get meaningful regular-season snaps, as both teams figure to be bad enough to end up near the top of next season’s draft order.
The Browns also have an extra first-round pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars because of the Travis Hunter trade during Round 1, and there’s no guarantee they’ll be any good — even with the do-it-all Heisman winner on the roster. The Browns would have the ammo to trade up for the top quarterback in this class.
The Saints aren’t going to win many games with Shough, Spencer Rattler and Taysom Hill.
Even with Aaron Rodgers potentially on the way, the Pittsburgh Steelers will need to solve their quarterback of the future at some point, too. The George Pickens trade gave the Steelers a third-round pick, giving them three third-rounders next draft — plenty of ammo to move up.
Due to a draft-night trade of their own, the Los Angeles Rams acquired another first-round pick for next year as well. The Rams often subscribe to the “F-them-picks” philosophy, but almost lost Matthew Stafford this offseason and could have their eyes on the future.
Not to mention, there are always teams flat out ready to give up on their starting quarterback. If Kyler Murray has a bad year in the desert, maybe the Arizona Cardinals move on. If the Dallas Cowboys underwhelm — and don’t hold your breath — perhaps Dak Prescott’s time expires. With a new regime in Jacksonville, could Trevor Lawrence get moved? More realistically, you could envision a world where Geno Smith’s Las Vegas Raiders aren’t very good in a division headlined by Patrick Mahomes. Or a world where Sam Darnold turns back into a pumpkin with the Seattle Seahawks.
Quarterbacks are always in demand, but the shockingly low number of premium signal-callers drafted this year will make next season even more interesting.
