2026 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper shakes up Top 10 quarterback rankings ahead of College Football Playoff

ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. shook up his top 10 quarterbacks for the 2026 draft class ahead of the College Football Playoff. There’s still plenty of time for this list to change.

What might surprise you is Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza is not the top quarterback! If he keeps winning with great stats, will he rise?
So let’s dive into Kiper’s latest rankings ahead of the start of the CFP. We’ll start with the top QB for next year’s draft.

1. Dante Moore, Oregon

Moore is Kiper’s top ranked quarterback ahead of the College Football Playoff results. He could very well go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft.

Moore really stepped up his game this year, his first season as the starter for the Ducks. He had 2,733 yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 72.5% completion percentage in 12 games this season, developing a lot since his freshman year at UCLA.

2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

Despite winning the Heisman Trophy, Mendoza is the No. 2 quarterback for Kiper. Maybe if he makes a run in the CFP or wins a national title, he could be No. 1.

After transferring in from Cal, Mendoza saved his best for last. He had 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 71.5% completion percentage in 13 games this year. He has 63 career touchdown passes.

3. Ty Simpson, Alabama

Simpson has shown elite qualities at points this season, so he’s Kiper’s No. 3 quarterback. But he’ll likely need a big playoff run to rise up this list.

Without a steady running game, the bulk of the offense has been on Simpson’s shoulders. This season (13 games to this point), Simpson put up 3,268 yards, 26 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 64.3% completion percentage.

4. John Mateer, Oklahoma

Mateer was one of the more exciting quarterbacks in college football earlier this season, prior to a hand injury. The Washington State transfer is still going though as the Sooners host Aabama in the first round of the CFP.

A dual threat, Mateer is a very intriguing prospect on Kiper’s list. This year, he has 2,578 yards, 12 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, a 62.1% completion percentage, 416 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. But don’t let that make you forget he has 44 touchdown passes and 25 rushing touchdowns in his career.

5. Darian Mensah, Duke

Mensah just kept getting better going from Tulane to Duke this season. He led the Blue Devils to the ACC title and nearly made the CFP.

He’s top five on Kiper’s quarterback list right now and it’s easy to see why. He has 3,646 yards, 30 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 67.9% completion percentage.

6. Carson Beck, Miami

Beck transferred to Miami after a mostly successful stint at Georgia. The quarterback was a popular pick for the Heisman in the preseason, but that moniker tapered off.

Still, Beck had a solid season and has Miami in the College Football Playoff. This year, he has 3,072 yards, 25 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a career-high and ACC-leading 74.7% completion percentage.

7. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati

Funny enough, Sorsby plans to enter the transfer portal, so he might be removed from Kiper’s list entirely. But, the Cincinnati QB raised some eyebrows in 2025.

After spending two years at Indiana, he spent the last two at Cincinnati. He had 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 61.6% completion percentage. He has 60 total touchdown passes in his college career and over 7,000 yards passing. Not to mention his 580 rushing yards this season to go along with nine scores on the ground and 22 in total.

8. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

Chambliss wasn’t anticipated to be the starting quarterback for Ole Miss this year. But an injury to Austin Simmons led the way for him to get under center. 

Leading the Rebels to the playoff, Chambliss has been impressive. He has 3,016 yards, 18 touchdowns, three interceptions, a 65.5% completion percentage, 470 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.

9. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Nussmeier might’ve been the top quarterback in the NFL Draft at one point, but LSU’s season was a disaster compared to preseason expectations. Brian Kelly was fired and Nussmeier struggled with injuries.

Still, he has prototypical NFL qualities that could land him in a good spot in the spring. This year, he had 1,927 yards compared to over 4,000 last year. He had 12 touchdowns and five picks but threw a career high 29 in 2024.

10. Jayden Maiava, USC

Maiava was the beneficiary of the Lincoln Riley system at USC and was very solid throughout the 2025 season. He’s the final quarterback in the top 10 per Kiper. 

In his first full year as the starter, Maiava excelled. In 12 games, he had 3,431 yards, 23 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 66.2% completion percentage.