2026 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper shakes up pre-draft QB rankings ahead of NFL Combine

The entire NFL world will descend on downtown Indianapolis this week for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. More than 300 NFL hopefuls — as well as even more agents, coaches, executives, scouts and media members — will take over Lucas Oil Stadium beginning Monday for the NFL’s annual weeklong beauty contest with on-field exercises running Thursday through Sunday.

Longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. took the opportunity to overhaul his Big Board Top 25 player rankings and individual Top 10 positional rankings this week before things kick off in Indianapolis. That includes Kiper’s Top 10 list of the best quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft, with reigning Heisman Trophy winner and expected top overall pick Fernando Mendoza of Indiana leading the way.

Kiper shook things up after Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA in his eligibility case that is expected to allow him to play out the 2026 college football season in Oxford. That resulted in quite the shuffle behind Mendoza and Alabama‘s Ty Simpson, the only two QBs currently projected to be first-round draft picks.

Check out Kiper’s full Top 10 list of draft-eligible quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft below:

1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

The newest Heisman Trophy winner has locked down the No. 1 spot in Kiper’s QB ranking from the word go. And all expectations are that he’ll be the No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in April’s draft.

Mendoza capped a magical 2025 season by delivering the Hoosiers’ first-ever national championship in football. He finished the year with a FBS-leading 41 touchdowns on 3,535 yards on 72-percent passing while leading Indiana to a perfect 16-0 season.

2. Ty Simpson, Alabama

Simpson was a somewhat surprising underclassman entrant into this year’s draft class, but it’s a gamble that is expected to pay off with a likely first-round selection on April 23.

Simpson turned heads early in his lone season as Alabama’s starter before falling off as the year went on. Still, the 23-year-old finished with 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns on 64.5% passing in 2025.

3. Drew Allar, Penn State

Once considered a potential Top 10 pick, Allar’s stock fell after a broken ankle cut his senior year to just six games, during which he threw for 1,100 passing yards and eight touchdowns on 64.8-percent passing.

Despite the injury, Allar enters the 2026 NFL Draft as one of the class’ most experienced QBs after starting 35 games over the past three seasons, including during a breakout 2024.

4. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Nussmeier returned to Baton Rouge last year in a bid to win a national championship, but that never materialized during a difficult 2025 that saw his head coach fired and himself benched.

Still, Kiper sees potential in the son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier after the younger Nussmeier went 14-8 as a starter and threw for 4,043 yards and 29 touchdowns during a breakout 2024.

5. Carson Beck, Miami

The former Georgia QB made the most of his lone season in Coral Gables, leading the Hurricanes to the CFP National Championship game only to be outdueled by Mendoza and Indiana in Miami.

Beck amassed a career 37-6 record over the past three seasons, the first two in Athens. Beck threw for 3,813 yards and a career-best 30 touchdowns on 72.4% passing this past season at Miami.

6. Cole Payton, North Dakota State

The FCS quarterback breaks into Kiper’s Top 10 at No. 7 after leading North Dakota State to a 12-1 season in 2025, including a perfect 8-0 mark for the program’s 12 Missouri Valley Conference titles.

The 6-foot-3 Payton earned All-American status after a record-setting senior season in which he combined for 3,496 yards and 29 total touchdowns in his lone year as the Bisons’ QB1.

7. Cade Klubnik, Clemson

The 22-year-old Klubnik amassed more than 10,000 passing yards and 90 total touchdowns over the past four seasons at Clemson. That was the case despite his career not coming with as many wins as many expected.

Despite that production, which included a career-best 3,639 passing yards and 36 TDs in 2024, Klubnik went just 26-13 over the past three years as the Tigers’ QB1. That included just 7-6 during a rough 2025.

8. Taylen Green, Arkansas

The dual-threat Green has been extremely productive throughout his college career. He combined for more than 12,000 total yards and 94 total touchdowns between Boise State and Arkansas. But after tallying 3,756 total yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024 for the Razorbacks, the 6-foot-6 and 235-pound Green had just 2,714 yards on 60.7% passing and 27 total touchdowns last season.

9. Luke Altmyer, Illinois

The Starkville, Miss. native slides up in Kiper’s Top 10 list after going 23-12 over the past three seasons as the Fightin’ Illini’s starting quarterback. That includes a strong senior season in Champaign.

Altmyer capped his Illinois career with a breakout senior season. He set career highs with 3,007 passing yards and 22 touchdowns on 67.4% passing in 2025.

10. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor

The biggest benefactor of Chambliss getting another year at Ole Miss is the Baylor quarterback. He cracked Kiper’s Top 10 following last week’s big legal decision in the Mississippi state court.

After battling injuries through much of his college career, Robertson finally played a full season. He made it a career year with a Big Ten-leading 3,681 yards and 31 touchdowns on 60.3% passing in 2025.

Just missed: Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt; Joe Fagnano, UConn; Jacob Clark, Missouri State