Three 2026 QB Draft Picks Who Won't Replicate Their College Football Success in the NFL

For these three generational College Football quarterbacks, the grass won't be greener in the NFL moving forward | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The 2026 NFL draft wasn't a particularly strong one for the quarterback position, despite being labeled as such last year before the 2025 College Football season was played.

Arch Manning never left the Texas Longhorns. Garrett Nussmeier's injury woes and the dysfunctional Brian Kelly-Joe Sloan combo undid his final year with the LSU Tigers.

Cade Klubnik never reached his highest gear with an underperforming Clemson Tigers squad. The class, by and large, disappointed this past fall.

With that said, Indiana Hoosiers Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza holds the hope for the class, and the Las Vegas Raiders, going No. 1 overall in one of the most obvious draft choices of all time.

These three QBs, though, all taken in the first three rounds, won't be able to replicate their College Football success in the NFL.

Ty Simpson (Rams)

Former Alabama Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson is walking into a difficult situation during his rookie season. Matthew Stafford may be playing his final season with the LA Rams, and fans were hoping GM Les Snead would give him an elite skill-position threat with their first-round pick. Instead, they drafted his replacement, Simpson, who was seen as a reach by most at No. 13 overall.

While Simpson is joining a great offensive-minded head coach, Sean McVay, it didn't seem like McVay even knew the team would take Simpson.

McVay has celebrated the fit since, and Simpson has a keen ability to read defenses and react accordingly, whether slinging from the pocket or throwing on the move.

Simpson will outplay Stetson Bennett for the starting job whenever the time comes, but Simpson only has 15 collegiate starts, and three of those games were double-digit losses to the Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, and Hoosiers.

His debut against FSU wasn't bad (254 yards, two TDs, 0 INT), but against stout Georgia and Indiana defenses, he had 279 passing yards, with only 67 coming in the Rose Bowl against the Hoosiers.

It's unclear if Simpson can handle the big stage just yet. Unfortunately for him, nearly every stage in the NFL is a big one.

Carson Beck (Cardinals)

After upgrading his situation in his transfer from UGA to the Miami Hurricanes, Carson Beck led The U to a slim loss in the national championship game. Beck will not be walking into a top-tier situation like the Canes in the NFL, though.

Beck was selected with the No. 65 pick in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals, joining a franchise with a brand new head coach in Mike LaFleur, and a QB room in disarray. Jacoby Brissett is the presumed starter, but he's holding out on the Cards until he gets a favorable contract extension.

Once/if that happens, Beck will be in-waiting. It's possible he never truly develops into QB1 material in the pros, though, since he struggles when plays break down. Beck was brilliant at reading college defenses, but there's a different speed in the NFL that he may never adjust to.

It certainly doesn't help that he's on a team that looks years away from having a dominant offensive line, if they ever do end up with one.

Drew Allar (Steelers)

The first half of Drew Allar's 2025 campaign with the Penn State Nittany Lions was enough to end any conversations about him being someone's first-round draft solution. An injury at the end of the season puts his immediate future in question.

Unless the Pittsburgh Steelers bring Aaron Rodgers back, which is currently up in the air, Allar could be in a QB competition with Will Howard that thrusts him into the spotlight sooner rather than later. With the franchise moving on from long-time head coach Mike Tomlin to Mike McCarthy, it's unclear if the standard is still the same in Pittsburgh.

It's not like the Steelers have had great QB play under center over the past few seasons anyway, though. Couple that with McCarthy having notoriously mixed results as a play-caller -- his 2024 season with the Dallas Cowboys saw a boring and predictable offense -- and it's hard to see Allar ever thriving in the Steel City.