1) Who are the QBs to know beyond Fernando Mendoza?
Presuming the Heisman Trophy winner out of Indiana — whom I have going to the Raiders first overall in my first mock draft of the year — comes off the board immediately, the teams still seeking a franchise quarterback will have to determine which of the remaining prospects have the tools to develop into QB1s in the right system. And to me, the top three guys to evaluate in that sense are: Ty Simpson (Alabama), Carson Beck (Miami) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU).
Simpson (who went to the Rams in my mock) looked the part for much of 2025 (3,567 passing yards, 28:5 TD-to-INT ratio) but only has one season of full-time starting experience on his ledger. Beck has topped 3,800 passing yards in two of his past three seasons and completed 72.4 percent of his passes last season, but he’s also been picked off 24 times since 2024 (12 with Georgia that year and 12 in ’25), including the interception that clinched the Hurricanes’ loss to Mendoza and Indiana in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Nussmeier threw for more than 4,000 yards in 2024 but failed to clear 2,000 in an injury-limited final campaign.
The pre-draft workout circuit will no doubt provide some answers for QB-needy squads, but given the inconsistent performance and production from the trio, there will surely be plenty of interest in the fate of Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, who is suing the NCAA as part of his push for another year of eligibility. If he ends up entering the draft, Chambliss would do so as a wild-card prospect with an intriguing game.
There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding this year’s quarterback crop — and teams will have to weigh the pros and cons of gambling on a developmental prospect vs. waiting for a stud in a potentially loaded 2027 class.
