The college football season is a month old, and from an NFL Draft perspective, the biggest story has been what’s happening at the quarterback position.

Or rather, what isn’t happening. Several quarterbacks highly rated by scouts and analysts over the summer have stumbled out of the blocks — Texas junior Arch Manning, Clemson senior Cade Klubnik and, to a degree, Penn State senior Drew Allar. We’ve also seen others emerge, though, including players like Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Oklahoma’s John Mateer and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.

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Now that we have a month’s worth of data and film, let’s run through a first-round mock. We’re using win projection totals from The Athletic’s Austin Mock to determine the order.

1. Tennessee Titans: Rueben Bain Jr., edge, Miami

Clemson’s Peter Woods and Auburn’s Keldric Faulk have an argument for this slot, and no one should rule out Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (my top-ranked prospect). However, I’m going with Bain, Miami’s uber-powerful and explosive junior edge who has responded to a ho-hum 2024 with a blazing start to 2025.

Bain had dominant stretches against the run while picking up four pressures in Miami’s opener versus Notre Dame and has a combined 14 pressures in the Hurricanes’ last two games (USF and Florida). A defender who can line up anywhere in the box, Bain has a 28.9 percent win rate, 19 pressures, three sacks and 15 run stops this season.

The most impressive defensive prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft that I've seen so far this season? It's not even close: Rueben Bain Jr. (22 pressures, elite run defender) pic.twitter.com/Rp8RWx3ErL — Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 22, 2025

2. New Orleans Saints: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

As is often the case, the quarterback discussion has gotten more interesting since the start of the season. It’s still early, and plenty could change. For now, though, I’m down to Mendoza and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers as the top two quarterbacks in this class.

I’ve loved how much Mendoza has already improved under Indiana coach Curt Cignetti — and he was already a smart player before he got to Indiana. Mendoza has handled pressure well and hit on nearly 60 percent of his third-and-long attempts.