A sobering reality is taking shape with the 2026 NFL Draft class.
As recently as a couple of months ago, teams anticipated a stacked crop of quarterbacks — not necessarily rivaling the 2024 draft class but surely better than the 2025 group. But with college quarterbacks underperforming across the board, there are serious concerns about the position, and that is going to reshape teams’ plans for the opening round.
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“Nobody is playing the position well enough to be like, ‘That dude can take over my franchise,’” said an NFL team executive who was granted anonymity so he could speak openly.
This could be a massive blow to teams like the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, which have glaring holes at QB and a pair of first-round selections at their disposal. It also hurts the Tennessee Titans, who have the inside track on the top pick, and their ability to auction off the selection to the highest bidder.
Of course, there’s plenty of time for evaluations to evolve between now and April, but the early analysis hasn’t been encouraging. There’s no clear-cut top prospect to truly set the pace for the rest of the class.
“I don’t love any of (the quarterbacks) right now,” a second executive said.
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