Fernando Mendoza & Carson Beck Among Top 5 Incoming Rookie Quarterbacks in 2026

With dynasty leagues ramping up and draft season approaching, we break down the top five rookie quarterbacks expected to shape the 2026 NFL Draft and future fantasy football value.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) participates in a practice for the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

With fantasy football leagues over, many fantasy owners are starting to focus on their dynasty team in 2026. That starts with the 2026 NFL Draft. If you can hit on a dynasty quarterback, it can change the outlook of your team for a decade. These are our early top-five rankings of the 2026 rookie quarterback class. This is the order we believe they will be drafted and not our personal rankings. Those will be coming in the near future.  

1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Hoosiers

Mendoza is by far the top quarterback in this rookie class. It seems inevitable that he will be selected first overall in this year's draft, and he will more than likely land with the Las Vegas Raiders. We expect them to keep the pick rather than trade it for a haul of picks. Whether he pans out on the next level remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that he'll be the first quarterback to hear his name called at the draft.  

2. Ty Simpson, Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) passes against the Indiana Hoosiers in the first half of the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

We would be shocked if Simpson doesn't end up being the second quarterback off the board in this draft. There is a chance that he works his way into the first round. There is no doubt that he has the potential to be a starting NFL quarterback, but we don't view him as a player who is ready to be a standout rookie by any stretch. This is a player who will need to land somewhere that will have patience with him and do a good job developing him. The fact that he is the second quarterback in this draft shows what a weak class this is. However, he has the mental skills to become a top-half-of-the-league starter eventually. 

3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss Rebels

By the time we get through the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine and the draft process, Chambliss will work his way up the rankings. His upside is too great to overlook, and he could potentially bring things to the table that no other quarterback can. If he was two or three inches taller, he might be the top pick in this draft. It will be interesting to see how early a team is willing to roll the dice on him. We'd watch for a team to try to trade up to pick No. 32 in the first round to get that fifth-year option on him.  

4. Carson Beck, Miami Hurricanes

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck (11) rushes the ball against the Mississippi Rebels in the second half during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Beck still has one game left to play on the biggest stage tonight against the top quarterback in this draft for the National Championship. If he goes out and outduels Mendoza, it could drastically improve his draft stock, and if he lays an egg, it could tank it. The physical tools have never been a concern with Beck; it's been all the other things. Leading the Hurricanes to a title could ease a lot of those concerns. 

5. Cade Klubnik, Clemson Tigers

Klubnik comes in at No. 5 because his duel-threat ability will push him up draft boards. NFL teams become enamored with his kind of potential. He's another quarterback who isn't near NFL-ready, but in the right system could develop into an NFL starter. He just edges out Drew Allar, who is not good, but is a 6’5 prototype of an NFL quarterback, and teams also become enamored with that.