Mendoza Tops 2026 NFL Draft QB Big Board
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- Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) is the No. 1 QB on the 2026 big board and the 'overwhelming favorite' to go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders after transferring from Cal and winning the Heisman with 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while leading Indiana to its first national championship.
- Ty Simpson (Alabama) checks in at No. 2, projected late Round 1 to early Day 2 with a best fit at Arizona Cardinals; an AFC area scout told the author 'I wouldn't draft him until Day 2, but I think he has a chance to go in that 20-32 range' because 'demand will highly outweigh the quality of supply in this year's class.'
- Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) is ranked No. 3, projected late Day 2 to early Day 3 with a best fit at Los Angeles Rams, after a clear 2025 step back to 1,927 yards, 12 TDs and 5 INTs in nine games while battling patellar tendinitis in his knee.
- Carson Beck (Miami) lands at No. 4, projected late Day 2 to early Day 3 with a best fit at the New York Jets, reviving his stock after transferring from Georgia with 3,813 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions; an NFC director of college scouting called him 'the favorite to be QB3 off of the board.'
- Mendoza has one clear developmental gap for the NFL: he took just 3% of his snaps under center at Indiana and posted a 53.2% completion rate when forced off his original launch point, with accuracy dropping to 50% under true pressure.
- The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off April 23 in Pittsburgh, and the rankings are based on more than a year of conversations with scouts and front-office personnel.
Why it matters: With the draft 12 days out, the class shapes the Raiders' franchise direction at No. 1 overall and the Cardinals' QB plans, while the gap between Mendoza and the rest is wide enough that only Simpson is in serious Round 1 conversation — leaving teams like the Jets and Rams to weigh whether to reach or wait for Day 2 value.
