On Sunday morning in London, Dillon Gabriel played a very solid football game for the Cleveland Browns. That doesn't mean he's the future of the franchise, but it was a performance that was encouraging enough that, for the moment, I predict that Cleveland will pass on a quarterback in 2026 to see if Gabriel can be the answer.
But for a number of other teams, passing on a quarterback seems like a bad decision. The winless Jets, for example, need to do whatever it takes to grab a quarterback since Justin Fields just doesn't seem like the answer.
There are four quarterbacks who feel like first-round locks at this point, plus a fifth team that needs a quarterback who would need to reach for someone but probably can't justify leaving the draft without a first-round quarterback.
With all this in mind, let's predict where the top quarterbacks will be drafted in 2026.
LaNorris Sellers - New York Jets
The 0-5 Jets look like they're heading for the No. 1 overall pick, where there are actually two quarterbacks worth picking. I guess it's a good year to be a bad football team.
Out of the top options, I think the Jets land on LaNorris Sellers. I don't necessarily think they should land on Sellers as I view Fernando Mendoza as a safer play, but the current Jets coaching staff feels like a group that values quarterback rushing ability, considering the team's current quarterbacks are Fields and Tyrod Taylor, plus Brady Cook is on the practice squad and scored 21 rushing touchdowns in college.
Sellers hasn't been running the ball nearly as much this season as he did in 2024, which might cause some slight concern, but last season he had 674 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground while completing 65.6 percent of his passes. He needs some refinement as a passer, but he has the skillset to be a very good NFL quarterback.
Fernando Mendoza - New Orleans Saints
The Saints picked up their first win of the year on Sunday against the Giants, but don't expect that to mean much. I still expect New Orleans to wind up picking second or third in this draft behind the Jets and, like...the Titans, maybe? But Tennessee isn't in need of a quarterback, so barring a team trading up, New Orleans should have a chance to draft its long-term guy.
(This assumes, of course, that the Saints leave 2025 convinced that Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough aren't the answers. They should be very convinced of that fact, but NFL coaching staffs have made dumber decisions than that before.)
Mendoza is a very good pocket passer, though games like his showing against Iowa show that his game can sometimes break down a bit against better defenses. Still, this is a dude who dropped five touchdowns on 91.3 percent passing on Illinois; he can be an elite thrower in the NFL.
Dante Moore - Las Vegas Raiders
Dante Moore is on the ascent. Could he end up going all the way at No. 1 to the Jets? Maybe, if this run continues!
However, I do think that his lack of starting experience makes him a better fit somewhere where he can sit for a year or two. The Raiders have Geno Smith, who is under contract next season but who can be cut before 2027 with zero cap hit. That sets up perfectly for the team to draft Moore and sit him behind an experienced guy before he takes over in 2027.
Moore is a talented passer who is taking advantage of a very quarterback-friendly system at Oregon. I'm not saying he's a system quarterback, but I do think being in this system leads to there being a bit of mystery when it comes to predicting what he'd look like at the next level.
John Mateer - Los Angeles Rams
Prior to his hand injury, John Mateer looked like a Heisman favorite. He was throwing the ball well while also being one of the most dangerous rushing quarterbacks in the country.
Mateer has so much upside. I don't think he's a lock to be an elite guy because I'm not sold that he can consistently hit the deep ball, but in the right system, he can be a top-end guy thanks to his speed and his short/medium accuracy.
The Rams need to be thinking about who their next guy is after Matthew Stafford. Ideally, Stafford comes back for one more season while Mateer sits on the bench and learns behind him.
Carson Beck - Pittsburgh Steelers
There are four quarterbacks who I really like in this draft. I have a feeling that the Steelers are going to be just a bit too good to draft any of those guys.
Instead, the team's search for a permanent Ben Roethlisberger replacement likely means picking between Carson Beck, Garrett Nussmeier and Drew Allar, all of whom have flaws that could doom their shot at being good NFL quarterbacks.
Of these, Beck feels like the safest call. Nussmeier and Allar have struggled in big spots, while Beck feels like he plays with a higher level of composure, especially since arriving at Miami. He's got a good arm and can limit mistakes, though he'll need to play behind an elite offensive line to keep him upright.