2026 NFL Draft Mailbag: Which QBs Join Garrett Nussmeier In Round 1?

Welcome to our first draft mailbag of the 2026 process! Over the weekend on Twitter/X, I asked for draft-related questions that you’ll see below. To submit questions for future mailbags, follow me at @thorku. And to everyone who submitted questions this week—thank you!

2026 NFL Draft September Mailbag

Question from @PBglimbeck: What's the deepest position in the draft? How many QBs are expected to go in the first round?

In my opinion, the top two positions in the 2026 NFL Draft are offensive tackle and edge rusher. Both are stocked with not only ample Round 1 talent, but notable depth through Day 3.

One under-the-radar position group with really good depth? Wide receiver. The 2026 class may not have an elite prospect—though Jordyn Tyson could change that—but it’s got waves of intriguing pass catchers, and profiles as a class where we get some Day 3 gems.

As for the 2026 quarterback class, I would set the over/under going in the first round at 2.5 right now. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier seems like the only lock, but there are a handful of others who have a chance.

Question from @CodyBoyyy7: The 2026 QB draft class has been hyped since before the 2025 draft. Through three weeks, is the class as good as initially thought?

Definitely not. Need a few guys to step up. Speaking of that …

Questions from @SkolSadness: If Arch [Manning] and Cade [Klubnik] continue to play bad, and there's multiple QB-needy teams, which QB goes after Nussmeier at 1.1.? and @ClintLJones: Who might the sleeper QB that rises up boards be? Mateer?

With the 2026 quarterback class light on surefire Round 1 prospects, but heavy on Round 1 possibilities, we have a bit of a Wild West situation at the moment.

There are two quarterbacks I would toss out. The biggest riser early in the season is indeed Oklahoma’s John Mateer, a dynamic dual-threat quarterback who transferred over from Washington State this offseason.

Mateer is a sensational athlete—estimated 4.45 40—with a big arm. He made several jaw-dropping throws in the win over Michigan. Mateer is an extremely aggressive thrower who is supremely comfortable testing tight windows. If Mateer lights up the SEC, his rise has only just begun.

Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza has also been tremendous in the early going, posting a 9/0 TD/INT rate on 70.5% completions. Indiana played three non-conference cupcakes, however. We need to see Mendoza, the Cal transfer, prove it during Big 10 play. That starts this weekend in a primetime game against Illinois.

Question from @NickGoedel: How high could Mizzou QB Beau Pribula go?

Pribula, listed at 6-foot-2, 212 pounds, was not evaluated by an NFL scouting service over the offseason. That made sense, seeing as though he had spent two seasons as a backup at Penn State before transferring to Mizzou over the offseason.

Pribula’s early-season play is forcing the NFL to pay attention. Through three games, he’s No. 4 in the FBS in PFF grade. He’s completing 76.4% of his passes with a 7/1 TD/INT rate. Among the opponents was Louisiana, which made a bowl last year, and Kansas, which looks like it will make one this year.

Pribula is athletic—he was Penn State’s change-of-pace running quarterback, the role Will Levis functioned in before transferring to Kentucky—and it turns out he has arm talent as well. Pribula opened my eyes spinning it against the Jayhawks.

Pribula is 4-for-8 on throws 20+ yards downfield in 2025, including three big-time throws. As only a true junior, I’d expect him to return to school in 2026. But Pribula has a prime opportunity to continue building his draft stock with SEC play on deck.

Question from @Ihartitz: “[Ohio State WR] Carnell Tate Day 1 or 2?”

Hi Ian! Great day to be great, and thank you for the question!

When Emeka Egbuka left for the NFL, Tate was elevated into a solidified WR2 role for Ohio State. He’s looked good so far, with a 12-219-3 receiving line through three games, including touchdowns in all three games.

Of those 12 catches, 11 went for either first downs and/or touchdowns. Tate has shown silky body control and urgent ball skills, going 5-of-6 on contested catches.

To answer your question, good buddy, Tate is up to WR5 on my board. My first big board isn’t coming until next month, but I know you’ll appreciate a little math in the dirt to help us visualize where Tate could find himself ranked.

Since the 2020 draft, the WR5 in the draft has been selected: 22 (Jefferson), 27 (Bateman), 16 (Dotson), 39 (Mingo), 28 (Worthy), 34 (Higgins). Average?: 27.7.

You pegged Tate’s range well. Right now, I’ll say late-Day 1.

Question from @BenDobosh: Would you use a 1st-round pick on [South Carolina WR] Nyck Harbor if you were GM of a WR-needy team?

I know I’m in the minority of the media with this take, but yes, I would. The upside is too big, and the possibilities are too endless. If Harbor fails on the boundary, he’d still profile as a terrifying size/speed proposition in the slot—the ultimate big slot (I think this is his ultimate destiny).

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Harbor was a second-team All-American on South Carolina’s track team while racing against runners a half-foot shorter and 60-70 pounds lighter, and he has hit 23.6 mph on the GPS.

Question from @j_yogibear: Is [Washington WR] Denzel Boston WR2 behind [Arizona State WR Jordyn] Tyson?

For me, yes. Boston was my WR2 over the summer behind Tyson, and I haven’t seen anything so far that would cause me to change that opinion.

Questions from @305AlexM: Who are the top RBs in the draft class behind [Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah] Love and @litespeed56 “Is Jeremiah Love the only high-quality RB worth a Day 1 or 2 pick?”

Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton is the RB2 on my board, and pretty close to a consensus RB2 around the industry. Singleton is only going to have to hold serve for the remainder of the regular season to keep that designation, because he’s a world-class athlete who is going to blow the roof off Lucas Oil Stadium at the NFL Combine in the spring.

If there is a second Round 1 running back in April, I believe it will be Singleton.

The remainder of my top-six 2026 running backs, in order: 3) Baylor’s Bryson Washington, 4) Washington’s Jonah Coleman, 5) Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne, 6) Minnesota’s Darius Taylor.

Question from @borkerchorker: Are there any offensive tackles who will avoid an arm length discussion?

Great question!

Auburn’s Xavier Chaplin, Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, and Oregon’s Isaiah World will not face length questions, amongst the 2026 class’ top prospects.

Miami’s Francis Mauigoa is a bit over the threshold, and my assumption is that he’ll be viewed by most teams as a right tackle. But he’s close enough that you’ll likely hear a little length chatter, particularly since some prefer his game at guard in a vacuum.

Two stud collegiate tackles whose length will be talked about the entire process: Iowa’s Gennings Dunker and Texas A&M’s Trey Zuhn III. Zuhn’s arm length is under 32 inches, and Dunker’s wingspan is only an eyelash above 80 inches. Both profile as Day 2 interior prospects.

Question from @TSFinky: How many offensive linemen will we see drafted in the first round?

In the 2025 NFL Draft, eight offensive linemen went in Round 1—Will Campbell (Patriots), OT Armand Membou (Jets), OT Kelvin Banks Jr. (Saints), OG Tyler Booker (Cowboys), OL Grey Zabel (Seahawks), OG Donovan Jackson (Vikings), OT Josh Conerly Jr. (Commanders) and OT Josh Simmons (Chiefs).

Right now, I would set the over/under for the 2026 NFL Draft at 6.5 or 7.5 offensive linemen taken in Round 1. My guess at the moment would be seven.

Question from @NicholasTraino9: What position should the Vikings target next year?

Top of the list for me would be cornerback, followed by safety and interior defensive line.

The Vikings are now using Byron Murphy as a boundary CB after moving Josh Metellus into a more-regular nickel role. Still, the team has very little depth at the position, and, ideally, you’d get another boundary CB starter to start across from Isaiah Rodgers so you could move Murphy back to nickel, and shift Metellus back to his move-piece role.

The safety position will move to the forefront with the expected retirement of S Harrison Smith after the season. And while the Vikings have depth at iDL for the first time in a long time due to the emergence of Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Levi Drake Rodriguez, it would be prudent to add more help to the position with veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave both over 30.

Secondary positions of need include: Running back, wide receiver and center.

Question from @twolvesfan: Can Big Citrus play his way into the first round?

Absolutely! Iowa State DT Dom Orange—aka “Big Citrus—ranks DT3 in my position rankings. As with Ohio State WR Carnell Tate above, Orange sits on the late-Round 1/early-Day 2 line.

Question from @DashingWarrior9: How many sacks does [Navy DT] Landon Robinson need this season to get drafted on Day 2?

That question will ultimately come down to how Robinson proves he can hold up against the run.

For those not familiar with his game, Robinson is undersized (6-foot, 287 pounds) but extremely active. I watched Robinson’s tape after his three-sack showing in Week 1 against VMI.

He’s extremely quick, with active hands. Robinson plays low to the ground, and he’s got ridiculous lateral quickness for an interior player. The thing he lacks is play strength, and, because of that, he can get washed out of plays.

Over the weekend, Robinson posted two sacks against Tulsa. Overall, he has 15 pressures in 96 pass-rushing reps. And through three weeks, he is PFF’s No. 1-graded DT in the FBS.

The NFL’s scouting services did not evaluate Robinson over the summer, and he wasn’t listed on the watchlists of either the Senior Bowl or the Shrine Game. Because of all that, and because of his frame and the school he plays for, Robinson is facing an uphill climb to the NFL.

Returning to your question, I do not believe he will be in the Day 2 conversation due to all those factors. But I do believe he’ll ultimately have a chance to get drafted if he continues to have a big season. If nothing else, he’s going to get a UDFA contract.

And one thing to keep an eye on with his evaluation this spring: A football source familiar with Robinson’s game told me that Robinson could get a look as a hybrid fullback for a team like the Ravens. Robinson had a 29-yard gain on a fake punt against Army last season.