There’s already been a ton written about the 2026 class of quarterback prospects, and there’s plenty more to come in the next several months. The league is always looking ahead with hope, as nothing energizes fans and the media quite like an exciting young quarterback. This offseason in particular will be a lean year for teams seeking help at quarterback, and it will put even more of an emphasis on the draft.
The problem is this class, despite the preseason hope of a lot of scouts this past summer, just doesn’t seem to have a battery of franchise-caliber passers available. There will be multiple first-round quarterbacks just because of the inherent demand seemingly baked into the league — I mean good grief, the Colts just signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement. But plenty of landmines await for teams.
That doesn’t mean that there can’t be good players. This is true of just about every young quarterback, but in this 2026 class especially, the outcomes are going to be driven by where each prospect lands. There are no generational prospects, no finished products. There are some interesting players, though.
Here’s a deep dive into the expected top prospects. While the Senior Bowl, Combine, workouts, pro days and all of that are still yet to come, these players have compiled 95 percent of the tape that teams supposedly will make the foundation of their assessment. The tape is what the following scouting reports are based on. Some underclassmen are included who could go back to school; consider that bonus content for 2027.
1 – Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza
Games watched: 2024 Florida State, 2024 N.C. State, 2025 Iowa, 2025 Oregon
Gunslinger mentality. Mendoza is always looking for the chunk play and the two college offenses he’s been in have been built around his proficiency and eagerness for attacking down the field and outside the numbers. Some of his favorite routes are go balls, fades, comebacks and deep outs, and he has a knack for both going over the top or pinning it on the back shoulder.
Well above average mobility, especially for his size. Not an elite dual-threat option but capable of pulling out of sacks and gashing defenses with his legs if he’s presented with a scramble lane. Long strider who eats up ground, yet is a little more graceful and light on his feet than a lot of other clunky 6-5 quarterbacks.
Comfortable throwing on the move and it doesn’t compromise his attacking mentality at all — quite the opposite actually.
Quick release and snappy throwing motion without an elongation like some passers at his size. Allows him to get the ball out quickly, including on RPOs, and his accuracy in the short game is generally strong.
Solid pre-snap command to find completions and hone in on indicators from the defense. Go-ahead TD against Iowa was when the Hawkeyes telegraphed the blitz (which they’d had success with) and he beat it with a slant that went for a huge gain. He also will take the checkdown and throw it away, generally walking the line well between aggressiveness and recklessness.
Tough player who puts mistakes behind him quickly and is resilient. Will stand in the pocket to take hits and attack.
Weaknesses
I came away from Mendoza’s tape feeling like his arm didn’t always cash the checks he was trying to write when he was launching down the field. Anything within 40 yards was great, and he has the fastball in the 20-30 range, but there was a tendency for a lot of deep shots to fall off at about the 45 to 50-yard range. That said, he had some nukes in the Big 10 championship against Ohio State that were in the 60-yard range, so could be a sample size issue.
The real critique of Mendoza is that his consistency deteriorates significantly under pressure — like most quarterbacks. Teams had success heating him up, sometimes with the blitz, sometimes just with the flash of color from defenders beating their blocks. When that happened, he would fade away from passes, lose his accuracy and make poorer decisions, including taking more sacks.
Both Cal and Indiana relied on a lot of half-field reads, things like RPOs or cutting the field in half with play-action bootlegs. Mendoza also likes to pick a side pre-snap and work that. Not a ton of full progression dropback reps on his tape, but not zero either.
In the games I watched, he had at least two interceptions and probably a couple other turnover-worthy plays because he missed on an over route, leaving it a little behind or flat for the defender to undercut and make a play on the ball. Perhaps just a quirk, but interesting to note.
Related perhaps — Mendoza is definitely more comfortable attacking outside the numbers and deep down the field than the middle of the field, perhaps because there’s less risk of an incomplete pass going wrong. Either his guy will catch it or no one will.
Mendoza has asserted himself into the national conversation along with the Hoosiers this year after a magical season that has them as the No. 1 team in the nation entering the College Football Playoff. Like many on the team, he had more humble origins, transferring this past offseason from Cal where he won the starting job as a true freshman and held it for two years. His numbers have taken a big jump — after recording 34 total touchdowns his first two years at Cal, he’s at 39 and counting so far this year and is the heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
When Mendoza is on time and in rhythm, he has some of the best tape of any quarterback in this class, dicing up defenses short and long with terrific accuracy. When he’s not, his game can regress. Lions QB Jared Goff is similar, and that’s probably why Goff will be a popular comparison for Mendoza in the coming months (along with the fact he’s 6-5 and a tough kid). But unlike Goff who is a true pocket-only passer, Mendoza has a mobile element to his game to create when the play breaks down and even change the math in the quarterback run game in high-leverage situations.
There’s a lot to like with Mendoza. Odds are he’s going to be the betting leader to be the first quarterback off the board, potentially with the No. 1 pick — even if he’s not necessarily as talented as some other quarterbacks to go No. 1 in recent years. I’m not sure he’d have gone over Titans QB Cam Ward last year, though reasonable minds in NFL war rooms could certainly differ.
Still, Mendoza is a high-floor prospect with enough tools and traits to become a really solid starter. Given the scarcity of options this year, Mendoza’s profile will be compelling.