Just two quarterbacks selected in the first round of Joel Klatt's NFL Mock Draft

Only two quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward at No. 1 and Jaxson Dart at No. 25, and it looks like that could be the case again in the 2026 draft.

At least, that's what Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt expects.

On his podcast and YouTube show Monday, Klatt broke down his first attempt at a mock draft this year and gave his thoughts on the two quarterbacks he sees landing in the first round.

The first one is obvious. Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Fernando Mendoza, from Indiana, is considered a lock to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.

"They need a quarterback. Geno Smith did not work out. We know that this is Fernando Mendoza," Klatt said. "Fernando Mendoza had a remarkable career in college football, but more specifically at Indiana last year. The Heisman Trophy winner, that epic championship game, the dive into the end zone -- this guy is a phenomenal player."

Mendoza completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards, 41 TDs and 6 INTs and rushed for 276 yards and 7 scores, including that iconic diving TD in the national championship game, for undefeated Indiana.

"This guy is a football nerd in the best possible sense of the word," Klatt said. "He's an excellent player. He's accurate. They utilized a lot of NFL concepts as well as college concepts with the RPO. But what I loved about Fernando Mendoza, probably more than anything else, is that when his best was needed, he was great.

"And that's exactly what the Raiders are going to need. If they're going to build this franchise and get to the point where they want to be, they're going to need that guy at quarterback, and Fernando Mendoza is him. I really love him as a player, and I think he's going to succeed in the National Football League."

Going from an overlooked two-start recruit out of Miami with just one Power Four offer -- all the way across the country at Cal -- to playing his way into the starting role with the Golden Bears, transferring to Indiana for his final season, winning the Heisman and national championship, Mendoza's story can't get much better. But following all of that by going No. 1 in the NFL draft is a fitting continuation of the narrative.

"As you know, it's always hit or miss, but remember, experience at the college level, that always pays off, and he's had a ton of starts going back to his time at Cal. Now he's had a ton of huge starts, going undefeated and winning the Heisman Trophy at Indiana," Klatt said. "So I really love this pick, and as we know, this is pretty much settled. Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders at No. 1."

That's the only clarity there is when it comes to this quarterback draft class, though.

Klatt acknowledged that the New York Jets, drafting at No. 2, need a quarterback, but he doesn't think they will take one there.

"Then the draft gets a bit interesting because there's not a huge depth of quarterbacks, so then you start to wonder, like, well, when are the next quarterbacks going to get taken? It's probably Ty Simpson, and the Jets are sitting here at No. 2, and they have a big quarterback need. I don't think they're going to go with Ty Simpson, partly because this roster for the Jets, they need help everywhere," Klatt said.

Simpson, the Alabama quarterback, completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards, 28 TDs and 5 INTs with 2 rushing TDs for the Crimson Tide.

Not accounting for the potential of a team trading up, Klatt suggested the most likely landing spot for Simpson was with the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21.

"It's not an organization you think would jump at a quarterback, but right here, we haven't even had a second quarterback taken, and I really like Ty Simpson from Alabama. I'm higher on Simpson than most," Klatt said.

"You could make an argument that someone's going to trade up before 21 and get Ty Simpson. This guy makes all the throws. I know he's not a huge player -- he's not big from a stature standpoint. But if you turn on the tape and you watch some of the throws he makes, they are NFL throws -- anticipatory throws. He throws with great leverage on the outside, he's accurate.

"We don't know yet about Aaron Rodgers what he will do, if he's going to come back or not. Either way, I think Simpson could be the future for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I like that pick right there at 21."