Where Bryce Young Ranks Among Recent Top QBs ft. Fernando Mendoza, Drake Maye

Bryce Young is one of the best prospects in recent memory, but where does he rank amongst the rest in this decade?

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) reflects before an NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

When bringing up QB prospects in the last few years, Bryce Young will always be mentioned as he’s one of the best prospects of this decade so far. Young, of course, won the Heisman award during his tenure with the Crimson Tide. Young’s career at Alabama made him the clear pick for the Carolina Panthers.

The question can be asked, though, where does Bryce Young rank amongst all the QB prospects this decade? One NFL draft analyst decided to do a deep dive into how QB prospects since 2021 rank, not only as prospects but also where they are projected to rank in 2026. 

Bryce Young 448 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT vs ATL Today.

Great bounce back OT Win from the young QB.pic.twitter.com/6TM42lYgcc https://t.co/JFvOIMuSbz

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) November 16, 2025

Fox Sports’ Rob Rang released his ranking of the best QB prospects since 2021, and to no surprise at all, Bryce Young as a prospect was near the top of the list. Young ranks third on the list of prospects, only slotted behind two other No. 1 picks, with one of them also winning a Heisman trophy. 

2 QBs Rank Ahead of Bryce Young As Prospects

Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) carries the ball as Carolina Panthers linebacker Trevin Wallace (32) defends during the second half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The only two prospects ranked ahead of Young are Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams. Lawrence won a national championship and went undefeated as a true freshman. He also lost only two games in his entire tenure at Clemson, and one of them was during another national championship appearance. 

Caleb Williams didn’t see the success that Lawrence and even Bryce Young did, but he put up ridiculous numbers and was a highlight reel machine, drawing comparisons to Patrick Mahomes. Williams won the Heisman trophy the year after Bryce Young did, in 2022. 

Bryce Young is Ranked Correctly

Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) puts on his helmet during warmups before a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

As tempting as it is to make a case for Bryce Young to be ranked No. 1, it’s ultimately not an insult to be ranked third among all QB prospects in the last five years.

Bryce Young still got so much untapped potential. pic.twitter.com/SwzueAoDhl

— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) March 20, 2026

Caleb Williams did get sacked more than Young, but in college, Williams threw for more yards, had a higher completion percentage, and threw 13 more touchdown passes than Young did. If there’s one argument for Young, it’d be that he won more at Alabama than Williams did with Oklahoma and USC, but even so, it’s still a coin flip of a choice. 

Lawrence has an even better argument, leading Young in touchdown passes, passing yards, and completion percentage. The most significant part of Lawrence’s argument is the national championship he won, which Bryce Young never won as a starter.

Where Bryce Ranks for 2026

Feb 26, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; (From left to right) Los Angeles Clippers guard Darius Garland and CJ Stroud and Bryce Young and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards pose for a photo following a basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

As a prospect, there aren’t many better than Bryce Young, but with the ups and downs of his tenure with Carolina, he’s dropped a little from where he ranks as a prospect. 

Bryce Young ranks 7th in Rang’s current rankings. What's most interesting is that future No.1 NFL Draft pick QB, Fernando Mendoza, is ranked just one spot behind Young, despite not starting a single game in the NFL yet. 

Fernando Mendoza's Heisman moment.pic.twitter.com/wk6rvEFNIK

— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) March 19, 2026

Then there are other QBs who have made huge jumps, proving to be better than current NFL QBs than college prospects. Patriots QB Drake Maye is the perfect example of this, ranked behind Bryce Young, as the 5th-best prospect since 2021, but the No. 1-ranked QB going into 2026

Bryce Young ranked at 7 isn’t egregious; there’s one QB that maybe should go behind Young, which is CJ Stroud, who just had one of the worst two-game stretches in NFL Playoff history. Stroud obviously has more playoff wins than Bryce Young, but if it's about the current state of their careers, Bryce Young could easily be argued over CJ Stroud. 

Final Thoughts

Bryce Young is no doubt one of the best modern QB prospects the NFL has seen; his career at Alabama was nothing short of legendary. As far as 2026 goes, there may not be another QB who has more pressure on them to perform and to do so consistently. If Bryce Young does just that, he’ll climb the ranks among QB’s in the NFL, and the Panthers will be a huge threat.